


Responsible

by DiamondWings



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Arranged engagement, Bang Chan & Han Jisung | Han & Seo Changbin are Best Friends, Bang Chan & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Bodyguard Minho, Everyone Is Gay, Felix and Chan are Australian surfer dudes, Felix should have watched the rest of the movie after falling asleep half-way through, Fluff, Happy Ending, Inspired by Princess Diaries, Lord Hyunjin is Felix's cousin, Lots of surfing terms and lingo, M/M, Manservants Seungmin and Jeongin, Minor Character Sickness, Once the royal grandma shows up you know how the story goes, Prince Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Rated for language and some allusions to horizontal fun, Temporary Breakup, eventually, everyone is happy, no one dies, the princess diaries au, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27742768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondWings/pseuds/DiamondWings
Summary: Felix is just your average eighteen year old Australian kid, hanging out on the beaches and riding waves until the last of the summer days. He just finished high school and wants nothing more than follow his best friend to college to follow his other passion - aside from surfing - and eventually take over his mother's dance school when he's done. Those carefully laid out plans are put at risk when suddenly his grandmother - the one he and his mother never talk about - shows up and discloses that he is a royal, and not just that but the crown prince to a tiny but ancient and respected island nation. Now, everyone knows how the story goes, right?"Everything is fine, then the royal grandma shows up, and suddenly you’re a prince and move halfway across the globe and have a country to run, and next thing you know you’re being forced to marry some random woman so you can keep a throne you never wanted and damning yourself to a loveless life, too!"But is that how Felix's story will go, too?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 166





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ashtin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtin/gifts).



> This story is for my lovely friend [ashtin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtin/pseuds/ashtin) because she's the best and enabled me in all the ways <3

“Oi, Felix!”

Felix grinned and shook a few strands of wet hair out of his face, before tucking his board under his arm and starting up the beach where he and his friends had left their clothes.

“Oi, hodad!” He greeted back teasingly once he reached his best friend, dropping his board to catch the towel Chan was throwing at him with a grin. “Where’s your board?”

Chan shook his head. “Not today, mate. I’m still beat from the plane ride. Sick waves today, though! That last one was a heavy one!”

Felix nodded enthusiastically while toweling his hair.

“Yeah. Today’s been full of nugs, there’s so many peeling you don’t know which ones to take! I got some really nice racy ones in the past hour, too!”

Chan nodded along when Felix sat down next to him on the towel.

“I saw you’ve been practicing on the lefts. Your form’s been getting really good!”

Felix’s grin grew.

“Thanks!” Then, he sighed, though. “Shame today’s probably the last good day of the season, they predicted messy waters for tomorrow and a storm rolling in the day after; I’d have loved to hit the waves with you while you’re here. See if you still got it!”

Chan hummed, bumping Felix’s side with an elbow while they watched some of their friends still out there on the waves.

“Bold of you to assume I won’t go out there anyway…! Winter can’t stop me!”

Felix snorted.

“That’s you, though. Us normal mortals would freeze to death if we tried that!”

Chan laughed, but was interrupted by the ringing of a phone coming out of the pile of clothes that belonged to Felix.

“That’s like the third time it’s ringing since I got here. Got yourself a clingy boyfriend while I was gone?”

Felix rolled his eyes, hitting at Chan’s shoulder as he reached over him to retrieve his phone from the pile.

“Shut up. If I had, you’d have been the first to know!”

By the time he’d managed to find his phone in the folds of his clothes, it had stopped ringing. Still, he unlocked it and stared incredulously at the number of notifications on his lock screen. He barely heard Chan’s exaggerated “Awww, so you still love me, after all!”, but leaned instinctively into the arm the other slung around his shoulders as he tapped on the notifications.

“Eight texts and seventeen missed calls from mom…” He mumbled, and Chan grew quiet as he noticed the change in Felix’s demeanour.

“Something wrong?”

Felix didn’t answer immediately, skimming over the messages. “She’s asking me to call back as soon as possible, says she doesn’t want to tell me over text… Yeah, not concerning  _ at all _ …!” He hit the call back option even as he was speaking, leaning further into Chan’s arm around him as the chilly autumn air cooled his body despite the neopren.

The dial tone barely had time to sound once before his mother picked up the call.

“Felix?” Felix’s heart dropped; his mom  _ never _ called him by his full given name. 

“Yeah? Why’d you call so often? Is something wrong?”

His mother took a deep breath before answering.

“Felix, I need you to come home immediately.”

“What? Why? Did something happen? Are you ok?!” Felix started getting up, Chan following at a slower pace.

“I can’t tell you over the phone. Just come, ok? I’m sorry, I know you’ve been looking forward to spending time with Chris, and I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t important.”

Felix nodded numbly. “Y-yeah… Ok. I know. I’ll hurry. Are you ok, though? Please, just tell me you’re ok.” He was aware he sounded desperate, but he didn’t care.

His mother’s tone softened.

“I’m ok, that’s not it.”

Felix let out a tentative sigh of relief.

“Ok, good. I’m coming. See you in a bit. I love you”

“I love you too, Lixie. Drive carefully!”

“I will!”

With that, they hung up, and Felix dropped his phone on the towel next to Chan before reaching for his clothes.

“Everything ok?” Chan asked immediately, concern clouding his features as he’d obviously heard enough of the call.

“She wants me to come home immediately, apparently something really important came up…” Felix informed him while hurrying to shimmy out of his neopren and put on clothes. 

Chan got up, picking up Felix’s phone and his towel. “I’ll drive you.” He offered, and Felix paused for a second.

“But you just got here…!”

Chan shrugged. “I didn’t even bring my board. I just came to see you; no point in sticking around if you’re leaving, anyway. Plus, you don’t need to be riding your bike with the board if you’re this shaken up.”

Felix gave Chan a small, grateful smile, before roughly wiping sand off his board and tucking it under his arm while Chan picked up the rest of Felix’s stuff. 

They made their way to where Chan had parked his dad’s truck, next to Felix’s bike. Once the bike and board were secured in the bed of the truck, they pulled off. It was a silent ride to Felix’s house, Felix nervously chewing on the cuticles of his fingers until Chan put a comforting hand on his shoulder. That at least got Felix to lower his hands.

When they pulled up in front of Felix’s house, though, the first thing they noticed was the sleek black limousine, with dark tinted windows that completely obscured the interior, and a driver that could double as a bodyguard waiting next to it.

“Damn…” Chan whistled quietly. “Did you piss off the Secret Service or something?”

Felix swallowed thickly, obviously not finding the joke funny.

“Hey, don’t worry yourself crazy in anticipation. Just go in and find out what’s going on. I’m sure it’ll turn out alright.” Chan realized his mistake, instead turning to reassure Felix. “If you need me at any point, just give me a call. I can even wait out front if you want me to?”

Felix shook his head, though, even if he gave Chan a quick, grateful smile.

“Thanks. But you can go home, you don’t need to…” He trailed off, opening the door and getting out. As he rounded the truck to get his bike and board, Chan joined him, though.

“Go on, I got this.” He encouraged Felix, and Felix stepped back with a nod.

“Thanks. I’ll… I’ll probably call you later, ok?”

“Absolutely!” Chan reassured him with a smile, and Felix nodded one last time before heading up the steps to his front door. 

He slipped in quietly, closing the door behind him before calling out.

“Mom? I’m home.”

The answer was immediate.

“In here, baby.”

Felix felt relief at the endearment, though he wouldn’t have been his mother’s son if he didn’t hear the shakiness in her voice under the forced calm façade.

To his surprise, when he entered the room he found his mother accompanied not by a cliché Secret Service agent, but… an elderly yet refined looking lady, drinking tea out of their mismatched IKEA tea set.

“Mom…?” Felix asked again, more calm, but also more confused this time around.

“Sit, baby.” She called him over. “There is someone I need you to meet.”

Felix gave the woman a suspicious look as he sat down on the couch next to his mother. Thankfully, his mom was not one to beat around the bush, and she cut right to the chase.

“Felix, this is Lee Siyeon, your grandmother.”

Felix’s mood immediately went from confused to sour. And, as kind as he usually was, there was one thing he didn’t forgive: any slight against his mother. And while he did have an idea who this woman might be, he decided to play dumb for a moment on purpose.

“Oh? I thought grandma was dead…?”

His mother inhaled deeply while the elderly woman’s lips pursed just slightly.

“Your other grandmother.”

“Ah…” Felix feigned understanding as he fixed the woman with a glare, though continued speaking as if he was talking to his mother. “The one we don’t talk about because she chased you out as soon as dad died, even though you were pregnant with her grandchild. I see.”

The woman’s lips pursed a little more visibly now, but other than that, she remained perfectly calm and sipped on her tea. Meanwhile, Felix’s mother shifted uncomfortably in the spot next to Felix, clearing her throat.

“Lix… Please.” She pleaded, and finally, Felix turned back to her. He was surprised to see her give him an incredibly sheepish look, and an apologetic bow to his supposed grandmother.

“What?” He still asked, maybe a little too testily.

His mom swallowed thickly, and after another quick look at the elder woman, she decided to finally explain.

“That… That story… Is not really the truth.” Her shoulders sagged, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted off them. “It’s merely a-... a cover story.”

Felix stared at his mother as if he didn’t recognize her.

“W-what? What do you mean? Did you-... Did you lie to me?”

His mother flinched, and the soft clinking of a cup being set down on a coaster, albeit such a small noise, caught both mother and son’s attention.

“Maybe it is time I take over, Yoori-ssi.” It was not a suggestion, and Felix’s mother agreed easily.

Felix turned to her, waiting expectantly, and with a not too kind expression, for what this woman had to tell him. She did not seem fazed at all, and began in a calm voice.

“Before I begin, I should probably introduce myself properly. I am Queen Siyeon of Geodo; a small, independent island nation off the coast of South Korea, that you might or might not have heard of before. I am the mother of your father, Prince Yongsul, and therefore your grandmother.”

Felix snorted incredulously, and quite rudely, at that.

“Yeah, right! And I am Prince Yongbok of Bondi Beach!”

Only the millimetric rising of one of the perfectly manicured eyebrows on her forehead indicated the woman’s annoyance at his interruption.

“No. But you  _ are _ , indeed, Prince Yongbok of Geodo, first in line and only legitimate heir to the throne.”

Felix stared blankly at the woman, not buying it. At least not really.

“Let’s assume for a second here that that is true and you are not just delusional; so you just remembered that randomly now, all of a sudden, nineteen years after casting me out before I was even born?”

“Felix Lee!” His mother hissed next to him, definitely chastising now, and the use of his full name made Felix flinch alright. “Let us explain, please.”

Felix still huffed, though.

“Yeah, I’d really like for someone to explain, starting with why we live so far away from all of our relatives in Korea who could have helped us. Why we had to come all on our own down here, where you had to struggle to raise me on your own while working hard in your dance studio, without any help, if we are apparently related to royalty!”

Jeong Yoori sighed, shaking her head. 

“I did have help, though. Financially, at least. We never had to want for anything, after all. But my work… It was all part of the cover. Which-... We could explain if you stopped interrupting us. Please, just listen, ok? You can ask all the questions you want later, baby.”

Felix bristled, but his mother sounded desperate enough, and the endearment sealed the deal and got him to sit back and clamp his mouth shut, ready to listen.

“I wasn’t just cast out to the streets after your father’s death. If I had been, we’d have been living in Korea, still. No, our move down here was carefully planned, and I did have help getting settled. It all had to happen in secret, though, with as few people as possible knowing about our whereabouts, to protect us both. We decided to never tell you the whole story, just a cover-up, so you couldn’t accidentally tell someone; even a friend you’d believe to trust with your life, because that would literally be what you’d unwittingly be putting on the line if you did.”

“So much for always being honest and open and trusting each other.” Felix huffed, feeling incredibly betrayed. His mother flinched. “Who would even have believed me if I had claimed something so ludicrous? I’d have gotten mocked and ridiculed before anyone ever believed me!”

The Queen - for if his mother didn’t contest the claim, there must be some truth to it - cleared her throat lightly; dignified, and Felix fell quiet involuntarily, so commanding was her presence.

“Maybe you’d understand both our reasoning and acting better if you knew more about your father, and what caused his death.”

A twinge of something undefined twisted in Felix’s gut, and he settled for giving the elder woman his attention.

“Your father, Lee Yongsul, was a fine man, a dignified prince, and deeply loved by the common people, for he was always close to them; both in Geodo, as well as in Korea. And yet, it became a big scandal when it became known that he was courting a commoner; and not even one of his own country!”

Felix glanced quickly at his mother at that, feeling a stab of pain in his heart at the small, sad smile she was wearing; even though he was supposedly mad at her for having lied to him for his whole life.

“The interest in who this woman could be that had captured the prince’s heart was immense, and genuine reporters as well as countless paparazzi started outright stalking the prince, and later the pair, wherever they went. Your mother ended up moving into the castle when they found out she was pregnant with you; that would have been another immeasurable scandal, as they were not married at the time of your conception. 

“We were still in the process of figuring out how to proceed from there, when your father went out. Disguised, as he so often did, of course. He was so elated at the prospect of becoming a father that he couldn’t wait to go shopping for baby clothes and accessories, by himself. 

“Somehow, he was found out, however, and in no time paparazzi were chasing him. One car hit the one your father was in, and somehow, the car flipped over, crashed, and-...” The queen broke off, for the first time showing a genuine emotion as she pressed the heel of her hand under her eyes, blinking back tears. 

By then, Felix’s mother was already quietly crying next to him, tears flowing freely while she tried to catch them with a wad of tissues. Felix’s hands balled to fists as he was torn between scooting over to comfort his mom, and his anger at her for lying to him for so long.

“Anyway, after your father’s passing, your mother - who’d never wanted to become a royal in the first place and had only tentatively agreed to a potential marriage for Yongsul’s sake - refused to subject herself and you to a life where you would undoubtedly live with the same attention that had cost Yongsul his life. She wanted a ‘normal’ life, for herself and for you. At least until you were of age.”

Felix looked at his mother for confirmation, and she gave him a watery, sad smile. “I wanted to keep you safe… I couldn’t lose you, too.”

Felix’s heart hurt, and despite his anger, he had to admit to himself he understood his mom’s reasoning. And he was grateful for it, too. Reaching out, he took his mom’s hand into his, a silent act of comfort, for both of them. Grateful, she pet the back of his hand with her thumb in turn.

“What does all this mean, now, though? Yeah, I get why we moved here now, why alone, why so far away… But…” Felix stopped to take a deep breath, before fixing his grandmother with a challenging look. “Why are you here now?”

His grandmother didn’t blink.

“Well, I am here because you are the legitimate heir of the throne of Geodo, the crown prince, and-”

“No!” Felix interrupted her, ignoring his mom squeezing his hand. “No, no no no! I am not!”

Carefully, but quickly, he retracted his hand from his mother’s hold, getting up. 

“I’m not a prince. I know nothing of how to be a prince, and I don’t want to be one. I am just a normal eighteen year old who just finished High School and who wants to go to college. I am  _ not _ a prince!”

The queen didn’t so much as flinch at Felix’s outburst.

“It is your birthright, whether you want it or not. And with that birthright comes responsibility-”

“No!” Felix interrupted again. “I don’t care about birthright or whatever! I had no choice in all of this, and I refuse! You can’t just come in here all of a sudden, out of the blue, and tell me a wild story about me being a prince and having responsibilities and whatnot, and expect me to just- I don’t even know what you expect me to do, but I don’t care! My life is my life, and mine alone, and you don’t get to decide over it just like that!”

Now, for the first time, the queen looked truly displeased, and she gave both Felix and his mother reprimanding looks.

“Well, life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, and we don’t always get to do what we want! There are things we just have to accept-”

“Exactly!” Felix interrupted her with a glare. “Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, and we just have to accept that not everyone bows to us and does what we expect of them just because we want them to. Find yourself another prince if you want one so badly! I’m out!”

And with that, Felix turned and marched straight out of the room, and out of the house. The front door ricocheted off the wall inside the house, and by the time it fell shut behind him, Felix was already pulling his bike off its rack with one hand, while pressing his phone to his ear with the other.

“Chan? Are you home? I’m coming over!” He spoke into the device as soon as the call connected.

“O-ok. Want me to pick you up?” Chan offered easily, but Felix shook his head, already straddling his bike.

“No. I need- I need to blow off some steam.”

“Alright. See you in a few.”

Felix nodded even though Chan couldn’t see it, hanging up the call and shoving the phone into his pocket before kicking off and racing down the bike-lanes of the neighbourhood towards Chan’s house.

***

“...and now she comes here out of the blue, talking about me being royalty and my responsibilities and whatnot and just expects me to nod along and- and-...!” Felix threw his hands up in defeat with an annoyed half yell, half growl, and stopped in the middle of his pacing to sit down listlessly on Chan’s bed. Bumping his head against Chan’s shoulder, he whined. “Channiiiie! What should I do? She can’t just do that, can she?”

Chan hummed pensively, patting Felix’s head as he thought.

“Well… You said she is a queen…”

“But not here, though! Just in Gedo-... Godo… Whatever the hell the name of that country is.” Felix interrupted him, sitting up again abruptly. “This is Australia! And just because she is a queen, she can’t just decide what I should do with my life; right?!”

Chan tapped his chin in thought.

“I can’t say I am an expert in this, really…” He hummed. “But, what exactly did she say she wanted from you? What are those responsibilities you mentioned?”

Felix’s mouth fell open, and he made a vague hand gesture. 

“Well, you know, just…” He trailed off, slumping in on himself quickly, though. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. Just that I was a prince, crown prince or whatever…” He admitted, mumbling and avoiding Chan’s gaze.

“Nothing else?” Chan prodded carefully, however.

Felix rubbed at his nose sheepishly.

“Well… I didn’t exactly give her time to elaborate?” He admitted quietly. “I guess I just… panicked. Before she could really go into detail. But, you know how these things go: everything is fine, then the royal grandma shows up, and suddenly you’re a prince and move halfway across the globe and have a country to run, and next thing you know you’re being forced to marry some random woman so you can keep a throne you never wanted and damning yourself to a loveless life, too!”

Chan chuckled, ruffling Felix’s hair.

“You should have made sure to watch the end of the movie, too, after you fell asleep halfway through, Lix.”

Felix looked up at Chan with a frown. “Don’t tell me it ended with some cliché bullshit like she ended up falling in love with her pre-picked husband and they lived happily ever after.”

Chan chuckled, shaking his head.

“Watch the movie. Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration to help you decide what to do, too.”

Felix huffed, letting himself fall back onto Chan’s bed. “I don’t want to. Life is not like in the movies, anyway.”

“You just quoted the movies to justify not giving your grandmother a chance to explain herself.” Chan challenged him with a raised eyebrow, and Felix kicked at him, petulant.

“Stop that. Don’t come at me with facts and other such unpleasant business.” He pouted, and Chan lifted his hands in surrender, getting more comfortable on the bed as well. Eventually, Felix rolled around, propping himself up on one elbow to look at Chan again, though.

“For real, though… What should I do now, Channie?” He sounded quite lost, and Chan became serious, too.

“Genuine question?”

Felix nodded.

“I think you should meet up with your grandmother and give her a chance to explain what she wants.” Chan started, ignoring Felix’s immediately displeased expression and carrying on. “Listen to what she has to say, at least, don’t interrupt, ask what you need to in the end, and let her know about your concerns, if you have any after her explanation. Tell her what you think about any proposals and expectations, but without going off on her. Also, don’t rush into anything. Take your time with decisions, rebuttals as well as acceptances. Think everything through. Talk things through with your mom, too; she knows best what anything your grandmother may suggest entails.”

Felix let out a slow breath. Chan’s advice was always so… honest.

“Also… You should probably keep in mind and get used to the facts your mom and grandmother have disclosed to you today. I highly doubt they were lying to you or pranking you, so that means whether you like it or not, you are a prince. And while you didn’t choose that, there is nothing you can change about it, and now that you know, it will influence your life, in one way or another. And not everything about it will be rosy; so, personally, I’d suggest you try to compromise wherever you can, so you get to take advantage of the pros that come with that status, too, and don’t get stuck with only the cons.”

That advice smarted, but Felix wasn’t about to lip off at Chan, who he knew truly only meant well. Chan’s advice was also probably the best he would get anywhere, which was why he’d come to him for it, in the first place.

***

Against his own expectations, but following Chan’s advice, Felix found himself sitting in the private salon of the mansion his grandmother was staying in while visiting Sydney. And on the couch on the opposite side of the coffee table in the middle, sat his grandmother.

“I am glad you decided to hear me out after all, after your initial refusal.” She opened the conversation, and Felix shifted uncomfortably.

“Well… You can’t really expect that, after dropping such a bomb on someone unsuspecting, they don’t freak out.”

The queen pursed her lips.

“A prince doesn’t have the luxury to ‘freak out’. A king even less so.”

At that Felix frowned, giving the Queen a look that resembled her own so much the genetic link between them would have become obvious to any onlooker, if there had been any.

“I am neither, though, thankfully, so I can freak out as much as I fucking want.” Felix retorted smugly. He could tell his grandmother didn’t like the answer, but he didn’t care. “And I’m only just considering hearing you out on what you have to offer about that whole prince business, but that is not helping selling it to me.”

Queen Siyeon’s face betrayed nothing about her thoughts, but Felix was sure he could see her expression harden for a moment before it relaxed again; all without moving a single muscle.

“What would you like to know?”

Felix shrugged, feigning an indifference he didn’t really feel.

“Why you decided to come look for me now. What you expect from me. What’s in it for me.”

The Queen nodded a dignified nod in understanding. And then she started, finally answering Felix’s questions.

Part of it, Felix had already gathered; that there had been a deal between her and his mother to keep Felix ignorant and allow him a normal life until he was of age, which he was now. So naturally, his time of reprieve was up now. There was also the fact that Felix was the only legitimate heir to the throne, and the Queen wanted to make sure he was prepared to take over the throne should something happen to her; which she feared could be any moment now, since she was getting older. 

She had been hoping Felix would agree to come with her to Geodo, now that he was done with school, assume his role as prince and start his training to later rule his country.

Felix bristled at that; he had his own plans for his life, after all, and he wasn’t willing to just give everything up, about himself and his plans, for something he knew nothing about, held no loyalty to or had any interest in. And while he did make an effort to say that in prettier words, he also made sure his grandmother got the message just like that, leaving her with no room to doubt about where he stood. 

To his surprise, though, the queen asked him what those plans he had were, and what  _ did _ hold his loyalty and interested him.

After being left stunned initially, tentatively, Felix started laying out his plans: that he intended to go to college and pursue a degree in performative arts with a focus on dance and a side of early childhood education. That his passions, aside from dance, included surfing, and he went off on a tangent about his summer job at a local surf school where he taught the smallest kids the first steps of surfing, as well as his participation in organizing the yearly surf competitions between the local schools. That his dream was to tour the world with a dance troupe for at least some time, before he settled down, preferably right here, and took over his mother’s dance school; maybe even combined it into a dance and surf school. 

The queen listened attentively, though Felix was sure that the whole time she was already thinking of ways to convince him to let go of all those plans and dreams. 

“I suppose ruling a country didn’t fit into those plans so far…” She remarked in the end, and Felix shook his head.

“No. And I don’t see how it could, either.”

The Queen nodded slowly, deep in thought. “I am sure we could figure something out.” She hummed eventually, and Felix spluttered, nearly falling off the couch in surprise.

“Excuse me?!”

Queen Siyeon looked straight at him. 

“I’m going to be honest with you, Felix, since you’ve been honest with me, too: I have a lot of pressure on me these days, because I’m getting old and there is no one who could take over the throne at a moment’s notice should something happen to me. Our people are getting restless. That is why I need you, and I need you as soon as possible. But, I understand that you are a bright young adult with a strong mind and a lot of determination, and I won’t be able to goad you into the role I need you for just like that. That, and you are my beloved son’s child. Therefore, I am willing to compromise.”

Felix struggled to catch his breath for a moment. 

“Compromise.” He repeated, incredulity in his voice, and the Queen nodded.

“Yes. It might be unconventional, but… The times have changed since I ascended to the throne, and conventions have to adapt to the times.” His grandmother conceded. “I see no reason why you shouldn’t be attending college and going for the degrees you want; as long as you also dedicate yourself to learning the ways of a ruler and about our country. I will make sure you’ll want for nothing while pursuing your degrees in turn; if you want, you could even see your time learning the ways of a king as a job you do to finance college.”

Felix gaped at his grandmother, completely undignified.

“You’re joking.” He concluded eventually.

“I would never; not about something of such importance.”

Felix shook his head, clearing it.

“Ok, wait, let me get this straight: so I can still go to college, do what I want, and you pay for everything as long as I learn how to be a king?” He summarized. “And then what? I finish college, with the degrees I want, and then they become completely useless because I’ll just have to be a king, anyway? So, what’s the point of me even going to college?”

“I would hope that I don’t have to abdicate so soon to force you to become King as soon as you get out of college.” His grandmother mused, and Felix felt a little bad about his outburst. The Queen seemed amused, though. “Ideally, you’ll have some years still before you have to take over that responsibility; years in which you will have some duties with our people, yes, but are also generally free to pursue your interests.”

Felix thought about it, letting that sink in.

“Those years are not guaranteed, though…” He adverted carefully.

“Nothing in life is guaranteed, Felix. All we can do is try our best.”

Felix didn’t like that answer, but mostly because it felt too true.

“Assuming I have some years to follow the path I want after college… As soon as I have to become king it would be all over, though, right?”

Surprisingly, the queen shook her head slightly.

“Not at all. You might not be able to take over your mother’s dance school over here, but Geodo could use one, too. It is also well seen to sponsor and support projects abroad, especially those supporting the arts or sports. You don’t have to give up on creating something here, too. In fact, being king allows you to sponsor, create and run multiple projects in multiple places and accompany them all relatively closely, too.”

That was the first advantage Felix heard about the whole becoming a king business, and it was a strong point. He had to think about it, and carefully. And he had to ask his mother, and Chan - especially Chan! - for advice.


	2. Part 2

Felix leaned far forward in his seat, face pressed against the window of the small private plane that took him to the island kingdom for the first time. Finally, after vast expanses of water, the island was starting to come into view! 

It looked like any old island, as far as Felix was concerned, as they approached it. It wasn’t so big he couldn’t see from one end to the other from the plane, though the far side did blend into the ocean near the horizon. And he’d been told this was just the main island; there were seven smaller ones that also belonged to the kingdom, scattered in the sea around the biggest one.

The closer the plane got, approaching the little airport, the more details Felix could make out about the island. His first gaze went to the beaches, so much smaller than the ones he was used to in Australia, and the choppy waves that rolled onto them. Surfing here would be a whole lot trickier than he was used to…! Soon, the coast was left behind them, though, and they flew fast over expanses of forest and fields, scattered houses coming into view, a little village, two, and then a small town, behind which the airport was located. 

The plane touched down in a smooth landing, and Felix’s stomach dipped with anticipation. Until now it hadn’t felt real, that he was really doing this, going along with the (in his book) crazy proposition Chan had drawn for him. 

If it hadn’t been for Chan, he wouldn’t have known what to do after his talk with his grandmother, torn between the possibilities presented to him, intimidated and confused. But Chan had suggested he didn’t make a decision yet, that he visited the country first to get to know it, learn about it, and get a feel for what it meant to be a prince, to live on Geodo, for the country and the people. To take some of the stress of Felix’s shoulders, he suggested he simply saw it as an alternative break; no matter what his decision would be in the end, he could apply to college already, and just instead of spending the break after finishing High School in rainy winter Australia, he got to spend it on a sunny island paradise. 

It had helped, and Felix had relaxed. When it came to it, he didn’t even have to present the arguments Chan had carefully drafted with him to his grandmother, either, before she agreed to the postponing of his decision until the end of Geodo’s summer. Now, he just hoped that three months were enough time to get used to it all, since he already felt overwhelmed just from the plane ride in, never mind the stately limousine waiting for them at the airport, and not to mention the palace it brought them to, of course.

Felix had thought himself ready for the grandeur and opulence presented to him from the pics a Google search revealed, but in truth, no picture could do justice to the real thing, he quickly found. 

Nothing could have prepared him for the suite that was supposedly his in the palace, and that was bigger than the entire house he lived in with his mother; nor for the two servants-in-training assigned to him, who were supposed to fulfil his every wish and wait on him day and night (it was only fair he got the servants in training, he assured his grandmother, since he wasn’t a real prince yet, and technically in training, too).

Luckily, though, Seungmin and Jeongin turned out to be great company after the initial awkwardness wore off; which took all of an hour, after which Felix woke up from his nap and found the two bickering in his closet while unpacking his suitcase, and promptly walked in on Seungmin shutting a not unwilling Jeongin up with a kiss when he went to check on what was going on. After the shock of the moment - which could have made the situation a really awkward one - Felix shook himself out of his surprise and pumped his fist. 

“Yooo, score! Get yo’ mans, Seungmin!!” He laughed. “Next time put a sock on the door, though, yeah?”

Seungmin and Jeongin dissolved into nervous laughter that soon turned relieved. Still they apologized, but Felix waved it off. 

“It’s cool, whatever. Could one of you show me the way to the Garden Salon, though? I’m supposed to meet my grandmother there, but if I go looking for it on my own I’ll get so hopelessly lost you’ll have to dismantle this whole building brick by brick to find me again.”

Seungmin volunteered, and trailing behind him Felix didn’t even find the maze of hallways  _ that _ confusing; not that he would dare to try and navigate them by himself any time soon.

The Garden Salon was pretty, objectively, airy and bright, light flooding in through tall windows overlooking a vast garden. Prettier even than the salon, though, was the lone boy waiting there; also objectively speaking. 

“Jinnie!” Seungmin exclaimed happily, before breaking off with a clearing of his throat. “Lord Hyunjin.” He corrected himself, bowing deeply while quickly surveying the room for any other people who could have heard him.

“Minnie!” Lord Hyunjin greeted him back, quickly making his way over to them to hug Seungmin; the two were obviously close. “You’re working here over the summer?”

Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Obviously. We can’t all be born into the palaces, some of us have to work to get into them.”

“I wasn’t  _ born _ into the palaces, either!” Hyunjin corrected them, but it was obviously a well discussed topic, since Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“Adopted; same difference. What are you doing here?” He asked, then didn’t give Hyunjin time to answer. “The Queen asked for Prince Felix- Prince Yongbok- ah, damn, do I introduce you as prince or not, and what name? What title? This is so confusing, please become King already to make things easier for me!” 

“Prince by birthright, would be right. You can use ‘Prince’ for short, however. And I believe he prefers ‘Felix’.” They were interrupted by the Queen’s voice as she strolled into the room, and both Seungmin and Hyunjin bowed deeply as soon as they became aware of her presence; while Hyunjin righted himself up again after his bow, Seungmin stayed down, however.

“Thank you for showing Prince Felix the way, Seungmin. You are dismissed.” 

Seungmin came up a little just to bow again, and swiftly exited the room. Felix would have prefered it if he stayed, but he said nothing.

“I asked Prince Felix to come down here precisely to meet Lord Hyunjin.” Queen Siyeon proceeded. “Since Lord Hyunjin so graciously offered to be the guide for Prince Felix around the palace and lands, as well as the islands.” 

Felix nodded slowly in understanding. It would make sense, of course, to have someone else show him around; he doubted the Queen actually had that much time on her hands to play Felix’s private tutor and babysitter during his stay.

“I’m very grateful for your offer, Hyunjin.” Her tone suddenly turned warmer, much more familial, and she dropped the formality in it as she addressed them directly. “You two are the same age, and Hyunjin also knows what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of nobility without prior knowledge.” She explained to Felix. Hyunjin grimaced a little, shaking his head.

“It was still different for me, auntie. I was only seven at the time, and I barely remember…”

Felix gaped at Hyunjin, looking between him and the Queen, the casual addressing catching him off guard. “Auntie…?” He mouthed, unaware that he had added sound to it.

“Hyunjin is my niece’s adopted son. And before you wonder: no, my niece is not part of the royal lineage, so Hyunjin is not eligible for the throne.”

Felix winced at the casual dismissal, but Hyunjin didn’t mind it at all; on the contrary!

“And thank f-...laming hot cheetos for that!” He corrected himself half-way through with a wide grin and a wink at the Queen, before finally closing the distance to Felix. “Hi! As you’ve heard, I’m Hyunjin, and we’re essentially cousins! Ready to get into trouble with me?”

“That’s sounds just like you, and to make sure that  _ doesn’t  _ happen-!” The Queen interrupted Hyunjin, and following a wave of her hand, a door opened and another young man stepped into the room with a short bow. “I’m having Minho escort you wherever you go. Don’t even  _ think _ about protesting, Hwang Hyunjin! You know the rules: no one in my family steps foot outside these walls without a bodyguard!”

Felix’s jaw dropped again as he took in the new arrival, their bodyguard. He didn’t look much older than him and Hyunjin, and he, too, was drop dead gorgeous. 

Over the next few hours that he spent touring the castle and it’s lands with him and Hyunjin, Felix learned that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed the other two’s good looks, either, since he couldn’t help but feel like a third wheel between them at times, so preoccupied were they with each other. Protesting; right. Little did the Queen know that protesting Minho’s presence was most likely the last thing that had been on Hyunjin’s mind when he’d recognized the other back in the Garden Salon.

***

“I’m not sure I’m going to survive long on this island, Chan…” Felix sighed dramatically on the phone later that night, falling back onto his bed. “It looks like everyone in my age group here is some sort of young god, but of course everyone is also taken. I don’t think my gay ass can handle this tragedy. Might hop on the next plane back to Sydney; at least down there everyone else is average just like me.”

Chan had the audacity to laugh at Felix’s misery; laugh! “Thanks for calling me average, bro!” He chuckled in the end, and Felix sat up again abruptly.

“Not  _ you _ , Chan, I didn’t mean-”

“I’m flattered, but you aren’t average either, Lix.” Chan interrupted him, and Felix could still hear the grin in his voice, but along with it, burning sincerity. ”Far from it. It’s good to know there’s a lot of boyfriend material that can measure up to you on that island of yours, though; now you just need to learn to flirt and get yourself a man, too.”

Felix snorted at that. 

“I don’t know if I’m exactly free to date whomever I want to here… Half the day has been lessons about how to behave in public, what to take into account when moving in public, how to spot cameras and how to act as if there are always cameras on me; because there most likely are. The other half was lectures about what would be considered a scandal, how to avoid one, how to avert one that’s already brewing, how to deal with one when I do happen to fuck up. Because everyone is sure I eventually will, somehow. Now, I don’t need my first scandal to be public indecency for undressing someone with my eyes or something like that.”

Chan laughed again, but then began questioning Felix for more details about his day. Of course, it hadn’t been just lessons and lectures on how to behave and avoid scandals. They had wandered the palace gardens and lands, Hyunjin showing Felix all the best spots. They’d taken a trip around the island, passing through the small towns and villages. Hyunjin and Minho had taken turns letting Felix know what there was to see where, what specialties to get in which place (or rather, where to send Seungmin or Jeongin if he wanted something specific), and where to find the best entertainment outside the castle; of course, that was never to happen by himself. 

Chan wanted to hear all the details, and Felix happily indulged him. In the end, the picture he painted wasn’t quite as bleak as he had first made it seem. 

Still, over the following days and weeks, not everything he learned was rosy. Not everything was bad, either. A lot was quite interesting, and a lot was also boring him out of his mind.

It was interesting to watch his grandmother as she granted public and semi-private audiences to their citizens, it was boring listening to trade and revenue reports, intimidating but thrilling to sit in when impactful political decisions were made, dreadfully tedious to sit through the lesser decisions, and downright infuriating when it came to reviewing and adapting laws from times long since past to the present day. The more conservative members of the parliament - who didn’t approve of Felix’s existence in general, never mind his presence on the island, and let’s not even think about the reason for his current presence - regularly forced Felix to slip out of the room before he threw something at someone’s head. 

He was probably breaking a considerable number of those laws, possibly even committing treason, but Felix simply needed to vent his thoughts about the events of the day to Chan at the end of every day. Chan always found a way to calm him down, to make him see things in a different light, from a different perspective, and rationalize his way through it.

“See, that’s why I’m going to need you as my chief advisor once I’m King.” Felix vented one day, freezing up as soon as the words had left his mouth. Complete silence answered him from Chan’s end of the line.

“Don’t say anything. Please.” Felix whispered, afraid to break the silence and with it making the words he’d just said real, and Chan didn’t. At least not relating to that.

“So, about college.” He changed topics instead. “Acceptance letters are all out already, right? Did you get into any place you wanted to?”

Felix was infinitely grateful to have someone like Chan in his life, in this moment as well as every other. 

“Yeah, actually!” He perked up at the topic change. “I almost forgot about it, but, yeah, I got into the same one you’re in. By myself, too. Grandma offered to use her connections to get me in, but it wasn’t necessary.”

“Of course it wasn’t. You’re brilliant enough by yourself, Lix.” All his warmth and affection for Felix was evident in Chan’s voice. “Congratulations, lil bro. I’m proud of you.”

Felix beamed to himself. The change of topic and Chan’s praise had succeeded in distracting him from his slip-up. Chan effortlessly kept the conversation going, too, until it was late and Felix was too tired to keep talking.

As soon as he hung up and tried to go to sleep, that slip-up came to the forefront of his mind, though, refusing to be ignored any longer. 

‘Once I’m King’ he’d said. Not ‘if’.  _ ‘Once’.  _ As if his mind was already made up, as if there was nothing left to think about. 

When had that happened? He’d come to Geodo with the mindset that he wanted nothing to do with his birthright, but he’d at least humor his grandmother for a while and see what this was all about, and maybe, just maybe, reconsider. 

That never happened, though. He never reconsidered anything; didn’t even consider in the first place. He just fell into the role,  _ as if he’d been born into it! _ The worst part? That was exactly what he was! Whether he liked it or not, and it would seem that life was hell-bent on proving it to him, forcing him to accept it.

And really… Hadn’t he already? Wasn’t his slip-up proof of that? Why was he consciously still struggling so much, refusing to want to accept it?

***

Felix was sure those three months had been the fastest to pass in his life. Summer holidays were always a blur, but never quite as much as this time.

“So… Are you going back to Australia?” Hyunjin asked him one early September morning.

“Huh?” Felix was confused, peering down at where his cousin had his head pillowed on his lap. “We’re going to the same college in Seoul, what-?”

Hyunjin shook his head, interrupting him. “No, I meant, in general. Do you think Geodo is something for you, or not?”

Hyunjin had never judged Felix for his initial wariness and distance to everything relating to the country, and he had never spared Felix the less pleasant details about the noble life, either. Nor had he judged Felix for being put off by them, and Felix quickly found a confidant in Hyunjin. Not one he was as close and open with as he was with Chan, but no one could expect him to be as close with someone he’d known for three months as he was with someone he’d known since he was three years old. 

“Oh…” Felix mumbled in understanding, leaning back again to look at the ornate ceiling of his private salon. “That…”

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts.

“I’m… Geodo is beautiful, no doubt. And interesting. And I like the way it’s heading and how it’s evolving…” He started, slowly, and Hyunjin turned onto his side, without getting up; just so that he could look up at Felix as he spoke without having to lift his own head.

“But?”

“What but?”

“I sense that there is a but.”

“There’s always a but.” Felix sighed.  _ “But… _ There is still a lot to do. There is a lot of really interesting ancient culture around, but hardly anyone seems to know about it or care. And the country lacks in contemporary cultural aspects. There are several economical fields we are rich in but that are hardly or not at all explored, while the country is investing too hard in other areas that have in part even proven harmful in the long run, when there is no necessity for them. And while the new healthcare reforms are a huge success and I am all for investing heavily in them, there are some infrastructural decisions linked to it that are being pushed by the rich and powerful that are complete nonsense and benefit at best one family and no one else. Like, why does our second smallest island need a whole airport when a heliport would do just as well, and it’s way too dangerous to fly planes to it for three quarters of the year, anyway? And in the meantime the main bridge over the river in the biggest town of the same island continues closed and in danger of collapsing for the third year in a row. Also, the education system needs heavy reforming; we don’t need more fancy school buildings, but we do need to invest in more - and more diverse - learning material. The curriculum that’s been proposed by the ministry for this year is a joke, too. If we want the children, the future of our country, to get an education that is up to par with the top five percent of the world- why are you laughing at me?!”

Hyunjin shook his head as he tried to stop his giggles, sitting up.

“Lix, did you just listen to yourself?”

Felix blinked owlishly at him.

“Yeah… So, what?”

“You sound like you are more invested in the politics of this country than more than half the senate and parliament put together. You sound like you are more invested in this country and it’s future than a vast majority of its actual population!”

Felix’s jaw dropped slightly as he let Hyunjin’s words sink in.

“Oh-... Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Hyunjin nodded, pushing Felix’s chin up to prompt him to close his mouth with one finger. “You’ve come to really care for our puny little rocks in the middle of the ocean, huh?”

Felix’s shoulders sagged and he averted his gaze. “Yeah… I guess I have…” He conceded eventually. 

***

Felix’s nineteenth birthday would be an event he would never forget in his whole life, he was sure of it. Of course, the Queen insisted on a massive celebration, and the occasion was also planned to serve as a platform to introduce Felix as the official heir and crown prince to the nation and the world - or whoever cared in the world.

Felix didn’t have full control over the guest list, even though his grandmother insisted on going through it with him. He didn’t recognize the names of over half the people on it, but was informed they were important personalities in the country and Felix should definitely meet them. Also, there was no way around inviting them without stirring major animosities, even if there were some both of them would rather not have around on such happy festivities; or ever, really. He did have control over some of it, though, and he made sure to have Chan and his mother flown in; he debated on inviting more of his friends from Australia, but ultimately decided against it. He wasn’t terribly close with a lot of them, and he’d rather have them not involved in this new part of his life; also, it would be nice to have somewhere to return to where he was just a normal dude like everyone else, where no one knew about his new status.

Still, he did encourage Chan to bring his two closest friends along, too, trusting him to have chosen good people to hang around (and potentially date? He had to ask about that later, Chan was being way too vague about that…) with. 

He couldn’t personally come pick Chan and his friends up from the airport, since they were arriving too close to the reception and he had to start greeting guests before they would have made it back, but he had offered to send a driver to pick them up. Chan laughingly refused, reassuring Felix he’d be ok and he had his invite to make it past the palace guards, telling Felix to just focus on his duties for the night and not break any protocols.

And that was what Felix was doing, greeting people by the entrance together with his grandmother. He had spent hours upon hours learning faces and names to greet everyone appropriately and make a good impression, and trained the greeting protocol to exhaustion, so much so he felt like a greeting-robot by the fiftieth guest; and there were still around two hundred to go. It was an exclusive event only, and it made him dread what a more extensive one would be like. 

Past two hundred guests had arrived already when Felix thought he’d spotted Chan’s bleached blond curls behind the next pair of guests. Maybe his greeting of Lord Seo and his wife, followed by their daughter, was a little rushed after that, but he was proven right when they stepped out of the way and behind them Chan was climbing the stairs with his two best friends from college. 

“Channie!” Felix squealed quietly, bouncing in his spot. A quick survey of the area revealed no prying eyes on him except his grandmother, and he rushed to meet his best friend at the top of the stairs, greeting him with a hug.

“Hey, bud. Happy Birthday.” Chan laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Wow, look at you! You clean up  _ nice _ in that suit!”

Felix chuckled.

“Don’t tell anyone, but no matter how nice it looks, it itches like hell. I’d rather be wearing board shorts, but someone decided that’s not appropriate.” He rolled his eyes, and Chan laughed. 

A quiet clearing of a throat behind Felix reminded him of his role, and he let go of Chan, straightening up and inclining his head at Chan in respectful greeting; all while wearing a silly grimace. Chan had a hard time keeping his laughter in as he bowed respectfully, his friends following.

“Prince Felix, may I introduce: Seo Changbin and Han Jisung, my friends.” Chan presented his friends with a flourish, once he came out of the bow, and for the first time Felix focused on the two. 

He didn’t show it, but he felt a little intimidated. Both looked so at home in their nice suits and clearly expensive accessories, appearing devastatingly handsome and with a powerful aura, and while they didn’t exactly look hostile or judging, Felix felt as if they still were. Maybe not of his exterior, but they were Chan’s  _ other _ best friends, an important part of Chan’s life that he wasn’t privy to yet. He was acutely aware that their opinion would be important to Chan and the last thing he wanted was to leave a bad first impression. So, he inclined his head respectfully at each of them, and greeted them with the proper etiquette, too.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again during this evening and that you find pleasant entertainment in my absence.”

“Wooow, so well-spoken now, our Lix!” Chan awed, and Felix could feel himself blushing.

“Shut up.” He shoved lightly at Chan before turning serious. “Do go on in. I’ll try to get to you as soon as I can, but it might take a while.”

Chan nodded in understanding. “That’s cool, don’t worry. I expect to catch up with you later when everything is over, at least, though!”

“Of course!” Felix guaranteed, and the trio stepped past him. 

Before they could get out of hearing distance, the next group of guests made their way up the stairs and Felix had to focus on them. He still heard one of Chan’s friends’ questions to him, though.

“Why doesn’t he call you ‘hyung’? He’s younger than you!”

Felix’s stomach dipped; he had never thought of that before, and suddenly he couldn’t help but worry if that was something that bothered Chan.

“We didn’t grow up like that, it’s not a thing in Australia. We weren’t taught that etiquette.” Chan explained, though.

“Now he knows it, though?”

Felix swallowed thickly when the three finally disappeared out of hearing range, and he greeted the next guests as they stepped up to him.

***

Most of the evening passed in a blur of making small talk with people he didn’t care much to talk to, dancing with more partners than he could count, a very proper and somewhat stiff dinner, and then more dancing, though less stiff now.

“May I have this dance, my Prince?” A voice sounded behind Felix eventually, and he found Chan in a deep bow. Felix’s face broke into a smile. 

“Of course!” Then, a thought hit him, and he tacked on a hasty “Hyung.”

Chan came out of the bow and took Felix’s elbow, leading him to the dancefloor. It wasn’t unusual for men to dance with each other here, fortunately, so they didn’t gain much more attention than Felix had gotten with any other partner he’d danced with before.

“You heard Changbin’s questions earlier.” It wasn’t a question.

“I did.” 

“Don’t worry about it”, Chan shook his head as he followed Felix through the first steps of the dance. “They are just not used to it. But it would feel weird if you started calling me that now. Just ‘bro’ is fine.”

Felix couldn’t help the chuckle, relief flooding him as he relaxed through the dance.

“You didn’t tell me your friends are so at home in these kinds of circles.” Felix accused lightly, and Chan shrugged.

“It never occurred to me. I’m too used to seeing them in sweatpants and two day old shirts, greasy hair, unshaven and with drool stains on their sleep-deprived, bare faces to remember they’ve grown up in a world of glamour and glitter. It’s not like they make it a point to remind anyone, ever, either.”

Felix chuckled lightly, trying to imagine the two breathtaking men that had accompanied Chan in the get-up Chan described. If he tried really hard, he could imagine the one introduced as Jisung with slightly messy hair, but Changbin… Not a chance. He looked too close to perfection for Felix to picture anything else.

“They thought I was disrespecting you, though. They are protective of you.”

Chan hummed, spinning Felix around, following into a spin himself before coming close again. 

“I guess they are. And I am of them. But I’m protective of you, too!” he reminded Felix insistently. “I explained to them that you would never mean any disrespect, that we just didn’t work like that. They understand, now.”

Felix looked a little doubtful, still.

“I promise.” Chan reassured him. “But once you get closer with them, you won’t get out of calling Changbin ‘hyung’. Don’t let Jisung bully you into that, though; he’s only a day older.” 

Felix’s eyes widened in surprise, and Chan launched into telling him more about the two, while Felix hung on his lips; his gaze wandered past Chan to find the others quite a few times, though.

“It is impolite to monopolize the Prince’s attention for more than two dances in a row.” A voice interrupted them eventually, and Felix turned to find Changbin standing next to them, bowing as soon as Felix turned to him. “May I, Prince Felix?”

Felix couldn’t refuse, even if he’d wanted to; not without causing a scene. He didn’t particularly want to refuse, either, though. He was too curious about this man, too.

“Of course.” He therefore agreed, and Changbin took Chan’s place as the next dance started. 

Changbin was an exceptional dancer, Felix could tell after just a few steps. Not as good as Hyunjin, who had taught Felix the traditional steps for dances between men on Geodo, but close.

“You are a good dancer, Changbin-ssi.” Felix complimented, and Changbin’s face lit up a little. 

“So are you, Prince Felix.” He led Felix into a spin, and Felix returned it once he was facing Changbin again.

“You have been observing us, during your dance with Chan-hyung; Jisung and me.” Changbin remarked once he came out of his own spin, too.

“You are my best friend’s best friends. I confess I am curious about you.”

Changbin inclined his head. “That’s fair.” He conceded. “Chan-hyung talks a lot about you; I feel like I should know everything there is to know about you already. And yet, I am still curious about you, too.”

Felix’s stomach swooped, but not in an unpleasant way.

“You are Chan’s roommate, right? I feel like we’ll have a lot of time to get to know each other soon.” He made it a point not to call Chan ‘hyung’ on purpose. If Chan said it would feel weird if he started now, he wouldn’t do it just to please others; including Chan’s unfairly handsome and hot, well-dancing and good-smelling other best friend. 

Mentally, he came to a sudden halt; where had  _ that _ just come from? Granted, Changbin did have excellent taste in perfume, apparently, and he  _ was _ hot, but-... 

He forced his mind away from any such thoughts, focusing on the present and the man he was dancing with, giving him a bright smile in hopes of prompting further engagement. Changbin stumbled promptly, and Felix caught him on instinct.

“Wha- Sorry, I’m sorry, Price Felix. Forgive my clumsiness.” Changbin apologized hastily as he caught his footing, and yet Felix didn’t let go immediately. 

“No harm done. Are you ok, though?”

“Yes, yes!” Changbin hurried to assure him.

“Are you sure? Do you want to go sit down?” Felix was still worried, however, and Changbin shook his head. 

“No, I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me. I’m sorry for ruining this dance for you.”

Felix started to wave his concerns off, then stopped himself, a sly smile stealing itself onto his lips.

“Make it up to me by finishing this dance and granting me the next one as well?” He proposed. “Only if you are truly ok, though! If you got hurt, I hope you would tell me immediately so we can get you looked after!”

Changbin chuckled, his ears turning a light shade of pink.

“It was only a stumble, I am truly fine. And of course will I grant you the next dance!”

Felix beamed, and Changbin guided him into another spin. They finished their dance without incident, making light conversation through the next one as well. Then, another couple approached them; Jisung, with a beautiful lady at his side. Felix went off to dance with her, while Changbin turned to dance with Jisung. 

Jisung looked obviously worried about Changbin, clearly asking him about what had happened there - at least judging by his expression - and Changbin answered. 

“...-and then he  _ smiled,  _ and I-...” was all Felix gleaned off his answer as he twirled past the two with his current partner. 

Felix didn’t like being presumptuous, but he still wondered: could it have been him who caused Changbin to lose his footing momentarily?

***

The merry after-dinner-dancing was interrupted by the highlight of the evening eventually, to which the local as well as some international press had been invited, too. 

Felix wasn’t the worst public speaker, he had done his fair share of it in the diverse surfing events he had helped organize, nor did he particularly suffer from stage fright, in fact quite enjoying performing diverse arts in front of an audience. And yet, he felt it was somewhat different this time around. In a way, what he was about to do felt a little as if he was signing his life and all control he had over it away. Or actually, that was what it felt like a lot. 

“Lixie?” The voice he treasured the most called out to him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Mom.” He turned towards her, and with one glance, she recognized what was wrong with him.

“Oh, baby.” She sighed, gathering him into her arms. Felix went willingly, resting his head against her shoulder. She only held him, though, saying nothing else, and that made Felix wonder.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, mom? I wish you would say something?” He whispered, and his mom hooked her chin over his shoulder, rubbing his back comfortingly.

“There isn’t anything I could be saying that you don’t know already, baby. Nor is there anything I could say that you need to hear right now.”

Felix grimaced, knowing exactly what it was his mother was  _ not _ saying. The ‘you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to’, the ‘the choice is entirely yours’, and the ‘this is something you have to decide for yourself’. Felix knew all of that, and no, he didn’t need to hear those right now. What he needed to hear was-

“Ready to officially take one step closer to rightfully becoming the King you have always been, bro?” 

Felix took one step back from his mother, letting go of her as he watched Chan saunter into the room. 

“How did you-” He cut himself off when he saw Minho wink at him from his spot by the door to the side room they were currently in, while Hyunjin shot him finger guns from beside him, before the door closed again to give them some privacy. “I see…”

“You getting the jitters?” Chan chuckled as he pulled Felix into a quick, breathtakingly tight hug.

“A little, yeah. What if this is not the right decision?”

“Then you abdicate when you come to that conclusion eventually.” Chan answered promptly, with a nonchalant shrug. Felix’s mouth fell open into a gape, and Chan closed it by pushing his chin up with one finger. 

“You’re not signing the papers to your execution. You are merely making a statement that you accept the title that has been rightfully yours all along, and that everyone has been calling you already all summer long.” He reminded Felix. “The only changes in your life that come along with this are that people will actually listen to your opinion on things when you give it and your word carries a weight that can no longer be ignored at will. Oh, and I guess you get access to the royal bank account, or so I hear. Maybe that will make you finally invest in a better board, at last! When I took yours out after mine broke, there were so many dings in it, it felt as if I was trying to surf on a booger!”

“Hey!” Felix immediately protested, affronted. “Bobby is a good board! His dings add character!”

“His dings add more grubs and time in the washing machine than anyone needs to go through in a lifetime. I swear I got worked more times during the three days with Bobby than I have in the rest of my life put together!”

“Maybe if you didn’t decide to hit the waves in the dead of winter-!”

“Maybe if you got a board that hasn’t been around since WWII-!”

“Boys!” Felix’s mother interrupted them, laughing, and they straightened up at once. Behind her, the Queen had joined the room.

“Ready, Felix?” She asked with a gentleness that Felix would never have expected from her three months ago, but that he had had ample time to get used to directed at him over the summer.

Felix took a deep breath, and Chan squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. It was all Felix needed to nod his head, stepping away from Chan to take his grandmother’s offered hand and follow her out to the balcony at the head of the room. 

***

“How are you feeling now that you are Crown Prince Felix, only heir of Queen Siyeon and first in line to the throne of the noble kingdom of Geodo? Lovely royal slippers you got there, too! Did they come with the title?” Chan drawled, sprawled out on Felix’s bed when Felix stepped out of his bathroom.

Felix wordlessly slipped off one of the fluffy oversized bunny slippers and threw it at Chan, hitting him in the chest with it. 

“Oi!” Chan laughed, throwing it right back. Felix dodged, though. Moments later he plopped down on the bed next to Chan.

“I don’t feel any different, to be honest. Maybe like I had too much champagne, and I should have left it at one port-wine mousse for dessert.”

“Bro, the port-wine mousse was a blast, there’s no way anyone could have passed up on seconds!” Chan sighed, patting his stomach as he rolled onto his back, not unlike a very contented cat. 

“True…” Felix conceded, wriggling closer until he could pillow his head on Chan’s chest; he would have chosen his stomach normally, but he was pretty sure Chan would not have appreciated that after the opulent late celebratory dessert they’d had after his official announcement as Crown Prince.

“Are you sure Changbin and Jisung are ok with being accommodated elsewhere for the duration of their stay? I swear, it wouldn’t have been trouble to have them stay in the palace, too. I already had their rooms prepared, too…” Felix worried once again after a while, turning to look up at Chan’s face. Chan didn’t bother averting his eyes from the ceiling as he hummed in answer.

“Yeah, they got it sorted, don’t worry about them.” He waved off Felix’s concerns. “You got along well with them, didn’t you?”

Felix hummed, too.

“I’d like to think so. I had a bit of an awkward moment with Changbin while we were dancing, though. He might have gotten hurt and refused to admit it; and idiot me asked him for a second dance instead of letting him go sit down!”

“Oh, don’t worry, he didn’t get hurt, trust me.” Chan answered with a cryptic grin. “I heard he got hit by something that took him by surprise, but he was fine. And trust me when I tell you that second dance was very much appreciated!”

“Oh?” Felix asked, and Chan nodded.

_ “Very _ much appreciated. You saved that boy’s self-esteem, for sure. He’s not big on dancing, and to stumble like that when dancing with a prince…”

“You’re shitting me!” Felix sat up, giving Chan a disbelieving look. “Not big on dancing? He was the best dance partner I had all night!”

Chan raised a curious eyebrow. “Objectively speaking, or…?”

Felix felt himself blush, and was instantly annoyed by it. 

“Objectively speaking, yes! Subjectively, too - maybe, perhaps - but also objectively!”

A grin stretched over Chan’s face and he sat up, too. 

“Do tell!” He prompted with sparkling eyes.

“His technique was flawless!” Felix launched right into it, gesticulating wildly. “His steps matched mine as if he’d grown up dancing this damned male couple dance his entire life! His spins were so symmetric he might as well have drawn them with a compass. And that’s not to mention that he actually knows how to keep the dance balanced, not taking control and not passive, and what to do with his hands. No wandering or clamping, tugging or shoving. Also, his lines are beautiful, he’s got a unique style, but it’s very smooth and-”

“And you know that’s totally not what I was asking about.” Chan interrupted Felix’s hasty ramble with a laugh. “Though I am happy to hear that Bin is not a lost cause on the floor.”

Felix huffed, pouting. For a moment Chan thought he wouldn’t answer him, but then Felix gave in.

“So what if I had a fun time with him? He was someone who actually seemed interested in me as a person for once between all the stilted small talk and showy acts. And I happened to want to get to know him, too.” Felix pouted, and Chan scooted closer, nudging Felix.

“Hey, no need to become defensive. I’m glad you had fun with Bin. He’s a good guy, and if you did develop some kind of special interest in him at any point, I would a hundred percent approve.”

Felix choked on air, giving Chan an incredulous look. Chan just raised his hands defensively.

“Just saying! Not implying anything! It’s completely up to you what you make of that!”

Felix frowned, shaking his head, but decided to drop the topic. For now. That was something he needed to figure out for himself first before he discussed it with Chan, for once. With Chan, he had other things to discuss, anyway; whether the older had something more than friendship going with Felix’s almost-birthday-twin, for example.


	3. Part 3

Felix kicked his shoes into the rack by the door with a relieved sigh, stumbling into the apartment. 

“Honey, I’m home!” He called out, prompting a scoff from Minho behind him as the bodyguard made sure to close and lock the door and activate the alarm again.

Felix had wanted to move into the dorms on campus when he left for college, but his grandmother had adamantly refused. Since his mother had agreed with the Queen, too, Felix had been forced to compromise. He vehemently refused the private mansion with full staff his grandmother had suggested, as well as the embassy, and after a lot of back and forth, the two opposing parties had settled on an apartment close to the campus. It was still a huge apartment, in a very nice building, with exceptional security and top notch facilities, but there was only so much Felix could negotiate away from the mansion. And since he shared the apartment with four others, it still managed to feel at least somewhat like a dorm.

Of course, the Queen and every advisor possible had insisted Felix went nowhere without his personal bodyguard, which was why Minho followed him absolutely everywhere. He was young enough to pass as another student, and no one questioned his presence by Felix’s side at all times on campus. He played the part, too, since Felix had argued that the best protection was to not appear like he needed any, in the first place. And really, it worked, and as long as it worked, Minho was happy. 

Another insistence of his grandmother had been that he take his personal servants with him, since she absolutely wouldn’t stand for Felix living off take-out and in the same pair of joggers and t-.shirt for days on end like the typical college student would. She also wanted to send along a cleaning maid, a cook, a tailor, a driver, a PA, and a handful of other people that Felix honestly forgot what they should be doing, but Felix bartered it down to only Seungmin and Jeongin, and Minho, of course. 

At first, the three had seemed worried about the work-load that would fall to them alone if it was just them supposed to cater to Felix’s wishes, but they were reminded very soon that Felix was not the typical royal, and actually pretty independent. The first time Seungmin had caught Felix baking brownies by himself, leaving the kitchen spotless even during the process, he’d nearly had a heart attack, and Jeongin actually rang the alarm when he found the washing machine empty and void of Felix’s clothes, thinking they had been stolen, just to find Felix had long since transferred them to the drier, dried them, and was in the process of folding his own laundry. Minho absolutely drew the line at Felix wanting to drive the car by himself for a quick grocery run, though, and Felix only relented at the sight of genuine fear in Minho’s eyes. 

Their living arrangements were completed by Hyunjin, eventually, who had managed to convince his family (with Felix’s help) to move into the same building with them. He had enrolled in a similar course as Felix, in the same University, and shared about half of his classes with him, but while Felix chose a side in education, Hyunjin chose business. Of course Hyunjin had come with his own entourage, but most of it had been sent back home after a short time. Only his bodyguard and a PA stayed, living in the apartment adjacent to Felix’s, which would technically have been Hyunjin’s if he hadn’t moved into Felix’s permanently.

“Last time I checked, the honey jar doesn’t answer!” A call from the kitchen answered Felix’s greeting call sassily, and Felix laughed. He dropped his bag carelessly in the living area on his way to the kitchen, where he promptly draped himself over Seungmin’s back to peer over his shoulder.

“What are you making?”

Seungmin sighed, not even attempting to shake Felix off. He’d quickly gotten used to Felix’s affection over the summer, and to the blatant shows of it in a not palace-y setting since moving to Seoul, too. 

“Honey-glazed roasted beef tenderloin with rosemary potatoes and cranberry sauce as the main course, but I’m not done with the entrée yet. I’m also not sure if the dessert will set in time. Classes ran late and- That’s not an excuse, I am sorry. I should have done better.”

Felix hugged Seungmin tight, shaking his head.

“That sounds absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to try it! But don’t worry about it too much, ok? We can just skip entrée and dessert if it’s stressing you out. You know I’d be just as fine with cup noodles and a snickers bar.”

Seungmin shuddered, absolutely horrified.

“Death penalty may no longer be a thing in Geodo but I think Her Majesty the Queen would consider reinstating it if she ever found out I let you eat  _ cup noodles!” _

Felix laughed, letting go of Seungmin to hop onto the counter and give him a wink as he peered into the pots that were boiling on the stove, trying to gauge what it was Seungmin was making for the entrée.

“What Queen Siyeon doesn’t know won’t make Queen Siyeon reinstate death penalties. What’s this?”

Seungmin flailed helplessly as he kept himself from screeching at Felix sitting on his pristine countertop, torn between wanting to shoo him out and reminding himself that that was his  _ boss _ almost sitting on his cutting board. He deflated eventually, giving up yet looking close to fainting.

“White wine and pear soup, to be served with the side of cured salmon and cream cheese rolls that you mentioned you wanted this morning.”

“I mentioned that? Hmm… I’m certainly not opposed. You are the best, Minnie!” Felix hopped off the countertop, hugging Seungmin again, and then made to leave the kitchen. “Where’s Innie, by the way?”

“At the household stores with Hyunjin and Yeoseob. Hyunjin mentioned wanting some new furniture for his room.”

Felix’s expression darkened. “If Hyunjin is making Innie carry anything heavier than a can of soup,  _ I  _ am reinstating the death penalty!”

Seungmin looked ill for a moment. “A can of-... soup.  _ Canned _ soup-...” He shuddered, turning back to his pots on the stove. 

Felix wandered off into the living area, reluctantly pulling out his laptop to get some college work done sprawled out on the couch. Perhaps Seungmin nearly fainted when he saw that, too, worrying for the condition of Felix’s back in the position he was in, but he refrained from saying anything. He would keep the heating pillows ready to aid Felix when his back started protesting the mistreatment eventually, instead. 

Hours passed, day turned to night, and the missing roommates hadn’t returned yet. Felix looked worriedly at the time and the night sky outside before getting up to find Seungmin again.

“Do you know if Innie managed to finish his assignment that’s due tomorrow morning yet?” Felix asked when he found him setting the table in the dining room.

Seungmin shook his head.

“Not yet. He shouldn’t have found the time yet since he went out again with Hyunjin as soon as we came home.”

Felix’s expression darkened once again, before he asked with a sugar-sweet voice: “For the record, Minnie, tomorrow for lunch I would like pit-roasted Hyunjin on a spit. The sides are up to you!”

Seungmin spluttered as Felix stalked off to his room in a huff, already in the process of calling Hyunjin to send Jeongin home immediately. In the living room, Minho laughed heartily, pausing his game on his phone to do so. Seungmin sent him a disapproving look.

“You shouldn’t encourage this kind of behaviour from Prince Felix! It is our duty to help teach him to behave in a way that is customary for royalty!”

Minho shrugged, though.

“Felix is doing just fine learning to become proper royalty. What’s the harm if he relaxes and is just himself when at home?”

“His word carries weight, whether he speaks it at home or in public! And what’s stopping him from speaking like he does here in public if he isn’t used to reign his temper in?!”

Minho rolled his eyes. “Relax, Min. He’s not an idiot. And you gotta admit, isn’t it nice to have your boss treat you like you are human and matter, too? Or would you rather be bossed around without any regards to you as a person all the time?”

Seungmin paused in his table-setting and averted his gaze.

“Well… It is nice, yes. But I just worry, sometimes, that- That the way Felix insists on being so casual with us is seriously going to impair Jeongin and me in our servant-training if we get too used to it.”

Minho snorted quietly.

“You are already the head man-servant and personal assistant of the Crown Prince, Seungmin. Eventually to become head man-servant and personal assistant of the King, and highest ranking member of the royal household staff. There isn’t anywhere higher you can get, career-wise, in your field. What are you so worried about?”

Seungmin’s jaw dropped, but he was saved from answering by the chime of the door-lock and Minho jumping up to see who it was begging entrance, making sure it was safe. 

It was just Hyunjin, though, accompanied by Jeongin, and Yeoseob, Hyunjin’s bodyguard, who delivered his charge to the door and handed him over to Minho’s supervision for the remainder of the day. It was a good thing Minho had a personal interest in keeping Hyunjin safe despite him not being his main charge, or else Yeoseob should probably not trust Minho so easily with Hyunjin’s safety, since Felix looked about ready for murder as soon as he spotted the group.

“Jeongin, you are exempt from all duties for the rest of the evening until you’ve finished your assignment. Hyunjin is volunteering to take them over for you!” Felix declared darkly as they stepped into the living area. 

Jeongin’s jaw dropped instantly, looking worried between Felix, Hyunjin and Seungmin.

“Hey! What did I do?” Hyunjin protested immediately, and Felix huffed.

“Innie has an assignment due tomorrow morning at eight that he hasn’t been able to finish because of you!”

Hyunjin managed to look a little contrite.

“Oh… I didn’t know that…”

Jeongin shook his head, though.

“It’s alright, I can just ask for an extension-”

“That will get you points deducted!” Felix protested immediately. “You are too bright to have your grades spoiled because you need to ask for extensions! I will not have it. Shoo, go on, get your assignment done!”

Jeongin looked confused, a little hesitant, too.

“O-ok… Please don’t let Hyunjin-hyung anywhere near the laundry with an iron, though. Or bleach. Or any other detergent. Actually, please don’t let Hyunjin-hyung near the laundry at all. Or any other task, for that matter. I’ll just get it done as soon as I’m done with the assignment…!”

Felix looked unconvinced for a moment, then decided Jeongin had a point, though, and relented. He still nudged Hyunjin in the ribs with an elbow as he wrapped himself around his arm to tug him further into the apartment, though.

“I hope you fully understood that that means you are a menace and a disaster when it comes to basic survival skills and that you should really learn to do better!” There was a teasing grin that showed in Felix’s voice before it showed on his face, though, and Hyujin relaxed. “Now show me, what did you choose to get for your room?”

***

“So, when are you coming over to visit my humble abode?” Chan asked as he sprawled out across the couch in Felix’s living room, draping his legs over Felix’s lap. “It’s been over three months and you haven’t managed to come over yet.”

Felix stopped whatever he was doing mid-motion, gaping at Chan.

“Holy… shit. You’re right!” He conceded. “How did that even happen? We see each other almost daily!”

Chan nodded, but shrugged right after.

“I mean, we see each other on campus and my classes run later so it’s more convenient for me to be the one dropping by on my way home… And not that I don’t like your little student cave, no!” (At that, Seungmin wore an offended expression, but he was interrupted by Jeongin quietly whispering an explanation to him how Chan was being sarcastic and didn’t mean it before he could protest.) “Nor do I mind coming over. You certainly have better food than what we have! But you said you wanted to see my place, too.”

“I absolutely do!” Felix nodded hastily. “Tomorrow! I’m coming over tomorrow!”

It turned out Chan didn’t have time the next day, but the day after he had most of the afternoon off. Coincidentally, so did Felix, and he had Minho drive him over to Chan’s place as soon as his last lecture let out.

Minho frowned as he parked the car. Sure, the neighbourhood was not a bad one, nor did the building look shabby in any way, but… He didn’t like it.

“What’s wrong?” Felix asked, sensing that something was off, but Minho shook his head.

“Just… The roads. Pretty damn narrow. And these parking spots… Anyway! Let’s go in!”

Felix knew he wouldn’t get anything else out of Minho, and headed up to the right building to ring for Chan. Chan let them in immediately, but while Felix wanted to sprint up ahead to the lift and get to Chan, he had to wait until Minho made sure the door locked behind them before he could even walk further into the building. And then, for Minho to make sure the lift was safe. And once on Chan’s floor, how many other apartments were on the same floor, and where.

Chan was already waiting at his door when they arrived, though, and Felix skipped over to him happily as soon as he spotted him; much to Minho’s displeasure. 

“You look really grumpy today; what’s wrong, Minho?” Chan asked as soon as he let them in, and Minho had made sure the front door to the apartment had really locked behind them.

“This building and area are a security nightmare…”

“Oh?” Chan wondered. “I guess I never thought about that… Will you still be able to keep Felix safe?”

Minho huffed, annoyed. “Of course, I will!”

While Felix rolled his eyes, Chan hummed in appreciation. “I’m glad to hear that. Coffee? Tea? Biscuits? They are technically Jisung’s but he ate my whole cake the other day when I was at yours, so… It’s only fair.”

Felix chuckled, getting comfortable in Chan’s living room while Chan made them their chosen beverages and fetched snacks. 

“Your couch is so soooooft, oh my god, Chan!” Felix hummed appreciatively as he sunk into the plush material.

“Right?” Chan laughed, peeking out of the kitchen. “Don’t kick my laptop, though, or I’ll kick you!” 

Felix laughed, nudging Chan’s laptop with his toes provocatively.

“Oi!” Chan promptly yelled, indignant. “If you mess up that track I’ve been working on, I’ll kill you!”

Felix stuck out his tongue at Chan, though, blatantly disrespectful.

“You can’t, Minho-hyung will protect me!” He sang happily, and Chan froze half way from the kitchen to the living room, tray with drinks and snacks in his hands, to give Felix an incredulous look. Then, though, he turned to Minho instead.

“Can you believe this? This disrespect! Comes into someone else’s house and behaves like-... Like-... Who does this grom think he is?!”

Felix snickered, while Minho looked almost pained.

“Royalty. Unfortunately.” He sighed, wearily, and Felix protested, sitting up quickly. Neither of the older two paid him any mind, though.

“If I kicked his royal ass, would you mind looking away for a second? Or are you contractually bound to kick my ass before I can try to kick his?”

“Even worse: honour-bound. I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.” Minho sounded as if he truly regretted that, too. And still, neither of the two acknowledged Felix’s protests.

“That sucks. Not even just a little?”

Minho shook his head, though. “Worst I can let you do is put salt in his tea instead of sugar.” 

Chan sighed, finally setting the tray down on the coffee table near the couch.

“Too bad; too late. You are one lucky bastard, Lee Felix!”

Felix pouted, but he knew from the start it would do him no good with Chan, so he dropped the act again quickly. They fell into comfortable conversation after that, Chan showed Felix the rest of the apartment (which wasn’t that far behind Felix’s own; after all, Chan lived with Changbin and Jisung, who were both pretty damn well off. In fact, the whole building belonged to Jisung’s family, apparently…), and eventually they just lazed about in the living room. That was, until the front door chimed as it was unlocked, prompting Minho to bolt up to check who had come in.

He needn’t have bothered, since the culprit announced himself as soon as the door swung open with a loud “Hyuuuuuuuung! Hungryyyyyyy! Binnie-hyung won’t feed meeeeee!”

Moments later, Jisung trudged into the room, followed by Changbin.

“Take him, hyung; your turn. He’s been insufferable for the past three hours!” Changbin sighed, shoving Jisung lightly towards Chan before making a beeline for the couch. He stopped short as soon as he noticed someone was already sitting there.

“Binnie, Sung; you remember Felix?” Chan grinned lightly, and Felix was pretty sure he spotted Chan’s eyebrow cocking teasingly.

“The one who steals you from us every other day? How could we forget!” Jisung huffed, but it was a good natured joke and not serious.

“The best dance partner I’ve ever had and who actually managed to not make me hate every second of the time I spent dancing with him.” Changbin announced instead, finally sitting down on the couch as well, while Chan pulled Jisung to sit pretty much on his lap while he wrapped his arms tightly around him. Jisung let it happen. “So, you’ve finally decided to come visit us! Did Channie-hyung show you around?”

Felix hummed affirmatively. “Yeah! It’s a lovely place. You’ve really managed to make the ostensive luxury feel homey and comfy and give it your own touch. It’s so nice! I’m still working on that with our place…”

From the armchair, Minho huffed lightly. “As if Seungmin would ever allow that…!”

“I’m  _ trying!” _ Felix reiterated, before his focus shifted back to Changbin. “Your classes only let out now? Do they always run this late?”

Changbin shook his head, though.

“No, they let out early today. We usually spend the afternoon in the studio, but the vibe is just off when Chan-hyung’s not there so we decided to come home early, too. Sung was being a whiny little  _ baby _ , too, ‘missing his hyung’...” He made air quotation marks around the last part, and Jisung started protesting but was cut off by Chan cooing and squeezing him tight. Instead, only a garbled noise made it out and then the two were too preoccupied with themselves to pay Changbin and Felix any more mind. 

“What about you? Do you have the afternoons off usually, or just today?” Changbin asked, and Felix went on to tell him about how he was usually done earlier than Chan, but that he had dance practice late in the evening three days a week; today not one of them. They talked a little about their majors, their minors, some interests, and eventually places to go in Seoul.

“What do you mean, you have been here for over three months and haven’t been to that café?” Changbin sounded almost offended. “That’s, like,  _ the _ number one place to go if you like animals! I- No, this can’t go on like this! I need to make sure you go there at least once! I’m taking you; when’s your next free afternoon?”

Felix’s heart fluttered as Changbin proposed to take him out, and danced happily in his chest as soon as they had found a time they were both free at, and set a place to meet up at to go together. In general, Felix had to admit his heart fluttered quite a lot while he was talking to Changbin; and that even though conversing with him was easy. They never ran out of topics, one coming after the other naturally, and they quickly found a lot of common ground. Felix was having so much fun, laughing carefree and feeling so confident around Changbin, that he practically forgot everything around them. He forgot about Chan and Jisung cuddling just there on the other couch, and completely missed Minho nearly having a heart attack as he agreed so easily to Changbin’s offer to take him out to the pet café, too.

It was getting late when Minho reminded Felix he had a home to return to, and Felix could have sworn no more than ten minutes had passed since Changbin and Jisung had come home. Still, they quickly bid their goodbyes, and they were off, going back home. 

Minho was silent on the way, unusually so, and without Changbin as a distraction to hold all of his attention, Felix noticed quickly.

“Minho-hyung? Is something wrong? You’re so quiet today…” 

Rather than let it go and hope it would solve itself, Felix prompted Minho to tell him about what was on his mind; as always.

“Your… You going out to that café with Changbin.” Minho answered honestly. “It’s a public space. An open, uncontrolled public space. And… I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to come with you, even if you planned to just go with Changbin.”

“Oh…” Felix sat back in his seat. “I hadn’t thought of that. Will it be ok for me and Changbin-hyung to be seen together in public?”

Minho shrugged. “Yeah, sure. That’s not the problem here, you have friends in common, have met before and attend the same university. It’s only logical you two would hang out eventually.”

“Hmm…” Felix hummed in understanding, but it wasn’t full yet. “You’re worried about the safety of the place we chose?”

“That, too.” Minho conceded. “And about, well… You and Changbin…”

“We’re pretty selfish and have a very peculiar set of conversation material, don’t we? You’d probably get bored, having to come with us… Why don’t you ask Hyunjin along? That way you two could also have fun while Changbin and I shut out the world…!”

Minho snorted quietly, a wryly amused smile playing on his slips. “Yeah, right… But if Hyunjin comes, so will Yeoseob. And we’ll have a fifth wheel again.”

“Ugh, this is complicated!” Felix sighed, sinking back into his seat. “Let me think about it, I’ll figure something out until the time comes!”

Minho peered at Felix in the rearview mirror, shaking his head lightly as he watched Felix space out with a soon turning dopey look as he watched the shops lining the streets fly by outside the car. The kid was so smitten and didn’t even seem to realize it! And Minho really loathed having to intrude on his date...

***

Felix didn’t figure anything out in time, mainly because he was too busy stressing out himself. It took him a solid two hours to pick out an outfit, until Minho intervened and roundabout asked Jeongin for one outfit he liked and told Felix sternly to go change into it, now, or they would be late, and Changbin didn’t wait. That, of course, stressed Felix out even more for a moment, but only until he was dressed, styled, and in the car.

“You’re going to a pet café. You’ll be full of fur and your clothes ruined no later than thirty seconds into your stay.” Minho reminded him, but Felix still pouted. 

“It’s the impression I make  _ before _ we go into the pet café that’s worrying me, though…”

Minho sighed quietly.

“Can I give you a piece of advice? One that is true for everyone, but perhaps surprisingly especially for royalty: Someone who judges you purely on how you present your exterior is not someone you would want close to you in your personal life. Especially as a royal, choose your friends and those you let close to your heart among those who’ll respect you as much in dirty sweatpants and greasy hair as they do in your finest twine at a gala.”

Felix wanted to protest, but snapped his mouth shut. Internally, he whined about how he still wanted to look as presentable as he could when meeting Changbin, and not leave a bad impression, but he also had to concede that Minho was right; as much as it irked him.

In the end, he shouldn’t have worried; of course not. Changbin greeted him with a smile that was so warm and bright, but at the same time kind of shy, that Felix forgot everything about his own get-up, nothing but Changbin on his mind. Minho let himself fall back on purpose, giving the two as much space as he could without compromising Felix’s safety.

It made him nervous and he was on edge the whole time, even after they’d entered the café, but he kept it up. He didn’t want to intrude on Felix’s and Changbin’s time.

Felix completely forgot about Minho in the meantime, though. He could probably have been sitting on his lap and Felix would still have forgotten about his presence with how absorbed he was with both Changbin and the multitude of little animals around them. 

The café was a special one, apparently, because dogs, cats and bunnies roamed the space together in perfect harmony, and they even had a pet pig in the mix!

Between the pets and Changbin, Felix could have stayed in the place forever, if closing times weren’t a thing. 

“I want a pet pig now! Minho-hyung, can we have a pet-pig?” For the first time, or so it seemed, Felix remembered Minho’s presence as they exited the café. “And a bunny, too. I want both!”

Minho shook his head in mild horror, though.

“Absolutely not! We are not equipped for that kind of extra workload. Seungmin will behead us!”

Felix pouted - quite spectacularly - and Changbin patted his shoulder comfortingly.

“You can always have me; and I can be both.” He grinned at Felix, and Minho nearly gagged at how Felix visibly melted; and he didn’t even seem to notice it!

***

“So, are you going to start dating Changbin-ssi?” Jeongin asked curiously after Felix had recounted every detail about the café, the pets, and especially Changbin - showing impressive memory by recounting pretty much every single word the other had said to him in the three hours they’d spent together - to those who’d stayed at home. At the question, Felix spluttered, his ears heating up so dangerously Minho felt compelled to make sure the fire extinguisher was still where it was supposed to be and ready to be used. 

“W-what?!” He nearly squeaked, and Minho groaned.

“Felix, I love you, but I swear, I will refuse to let you go out and force me to third-wheel through your dates if you won’t at least call them by what they are!”

“I’m not dating Changbin-hyung!” Felix squeaked, wide-eyed. “I’m not!” He reiterated when Minho gave him a stern look. “I’m really not! It wasn’t a  _ date!”  _ His voice became whiny as he slumped against the back of the couch, sliding down on it slowly. “But… Maybe I want to…? Someday?” He admitted eventually when Minho’s stare didn’t let up, and sputtering after his admission, he curled up on his side and hid his face.

Minho let out a relieved sigh, patting Felix’s shoulder comfortingly. 

“There, there… Admitting it is the first step to accepting it, and that makes already two steps in to making it happen.”

***

“So, how was your date with Binnie?” Chan asked later that night, on the phone, and Felix kicked at his sheets in frustration; not this again!

“It was  _ not _ a date!” He denied vehemently.

“Oh? It wasn’t?” Chan sounded genuinely confused. “Binnie thought it was…”

That made Felix sit up in bed abruptly.

“He did?!” He nearly yelled into the phone. “A date? He-”

“Calm down!” Chan stressed from the other end of the line. “If you miscommunicated and it wasn’t a date for you, you can always clear that up later. There’s no harm done, Binnie will understand.”

Felix could only sit and gape at the wall across the room as his thoughts ran a mile a minute. 

“But if that’s not what you want out of your outings, you should definitely clear that up with Bin and not give him any false hopes.” Chan trudged on, and Felix shook himself forcibly out of his thoughts.

“N-no, that’s not it! I-I just thought, I didn’t think, that, uh, that Changbin-hyung-”

A groan from Chan cut him off.

“You’re such an idiot, Lee Felix!”

“Hey!”

“You are! You were both flirting as if your lives depended on it here the other day, you completely forgot anyone else was even in the room with you two, and yet you think Binnie took you out to a pet-café, just the two of you, for- for what exactly? To show you what a bunny looked like? Seriously, Lix!”

Felix swallowed thickly; Chan had a point.

“So… You think Changbin-hyung is interested in me, too?”

“I swear, I’m going to scream…” Chan muttered, a soft thud sounding from his side as he no doubt let himself drop onto some soft surface. “No, Lix, he absolutely loathes you; that’s why he already set up a second date with you and hasn’t shut up about you since he came home!”

“Oh-...  _ Oh _ .”

***

If anything, the knowledge that Changbin was interested in Felix, too, and definitely saw their encounters as dates, only made Felix more nervous. He wasn’t usually too much of the nervous type, but when it came to Changbin, he became a bumbling mess; only  _ before _ the actual dates, though. During those dates, he was the perfect charmer, truly. He flirted right back when Changbin made any advances, challenged him plenty of times on his own, when the situation allowed it, and in no time they were at a point where Minho was seriously worrying he might go grey from stress as the two really weren’t subtle with their public displays of affection anymore. As cute as they were, Minho did not have any voyeuristic tendencies, and he really,  _ really  _ feared for his job - and life! - should the two be found out and word get around. They wouldn’t have a quiet minute anymore!

After the date on which they finally kissed for the first time - and out in the open, in the middle of the sidewalk by the river, too! It really was romantic, Minho had to admit, with the setting sun in the background, the city lights glittering on the water, the crescent moon already high up in the sky - Minho was uncharacteristically quiet in the car on the drive back home.

“Hyung?” Felix eventually spoke up, uncharacteristically shy. “Is something wrong?”

Minho didn’t answer immediately, not knowing how he should word his concerns without giving Felix the wrong idea.

“Hmm…” He hummed. “There’s… Something we need to talk about. Regarding your dates. And, some… How should I word it?” He broke off with a sigh, and Felix shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“I thought-... I got the impression you even wanted us to date…! I didn’t know-... Didn’t think you were against it…” Felix’s heavy heart reflected in his voice, and Minho was quick to shake his head.

“That’s not it!” He hurried to reassure him. “As long as you are happy, I’m happy! And I  _ am _ happy you are happy with Changbin!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Minho hummed. “It’s not that.”

“What is it then?”

“It’s… Your dating locations. And your… Activities on those dates.”

In the rearview mirror, Minho could see Felix’s ears growing a scarlet red.

“What-... activities do you even mean? There are no ‘activities’. Unless you consider things like grabbing donuts together an activity…” He mumbled, no longer meeting Minho’s eyes through the mirror, instead averting them to the outside world completely.

“That is not what I mean, either.” Minho sighed, feeling uncomfortable himself. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you guys and you are disgustingly cute when you share food and hold hands and just cozy up to each other, and yeah you picked a great spot and moment for a first kiss, but-!” He paused for effect. “You just-... It pains me to say that, Felix, but you can’t just  _ do _ that. Not- not like  _ that _ .” 

Felix frowned, not sure if he was following Minho.

“What do you mean?” His voice sounded guarded now, and something darker swung in it, too.

“What I mean is-... You’re royalty, Felix. So far, we haven’t had any incidents and you’ve managed to fly under the radar. But that won’t last forever. Sooner or later, someone will recognize you. Sooner or later, you will show up in the background of someone’s video or selfie and you’ll be recognized. And once people know where you are, they will start seeking you out. They will start looking for you, following you, taking pictures of you at any given moment. Especially if you don’t show up in those pictures or videos alone, there will be hordes of people wanting to know who it is you were sighted with. And if you are pictured doing something… more intimate, even if it’s just hand-holding, you’ll have the combined yellow-press at your throat in point-two seconds.”

Felix fell silent after that mini-speech, letting the warning sink in.

“So, you mean… I can’t date Changbin-hyung openly anymore?”

Minho grimaced. It pained him to have to say it, but…

“Not like you have been so far. You have to choose more secluded locations, and keep your affection more hidden. Hand-holding under tables is fine, but not in a busy pedestrian area or the sidewalks in the parks. Tone it down with the cute food sharing. And kisses or anything else… It would be best if you kept those behind closed doors.”

Felix nodded gravely, his face dark. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand; no, he did. He just hated it.

***

“Hyung…!” Felix mumbled quietly, a warning. Changbin sighed, dropping his hand under the table. A moment later, Felix’s hand dropped under the table, too, landing in Changbin’s waiting one. “Sorry…” Felix apologized, still quiet.

“It’s not your fault…” Changbin mumbled back, glaring at the table next to them where Minho was sitting. Felix nudged Changbin’s shin with his foot.

“It’s not his fault, either. He didn’t make the rules.”

“Yes, he did.” Changbin pouted, though, and Felix rolled his eyes.

“No, he didn’t. It’s not his fault we have to be careful in public. It’s his job to keep me safe, and that’s what he’s doing. Thanks to him, we can still go on dates at all, at least like this. If we were found out or if he were anyone else, we wouldn’t even have this much.”

Changbin huffed quietly, but he had to concede the point to Felix.

“Are you still staying over tonight?” He decided to change the topic, and Felix visibly lit up. 

“Yes! You handled the sleeping situation?”

Changbin hummed affirmatively.

“Jisung is sleeping in Chan-hyung’s bed, anyway, so he said he doesn’t mind letting Minho-hyung have his room for the night.”

“Yay!” Felix jubilated quietly. “Remind me to thank Jisung properly when we get home!”

Changbin raised an eyebrow, giving Felix a contemplative look.

“Does that ‘thank you’ include you smooching Sung again?”

“Absolutely! Otherwise, how would he know I truly mean it?!” Felix grinned, and Changbin shook his head fondly.

“Do I get a thank-you-smooch too if I remind you?”

“You can get so much more than just that once we’re home; you just have to ask.” 

Changbin choked on his food, completely thrown off guard by Felix’s suggestion, especially proclaimed with such innocence, so casually. On the table next to them, Minho, too was trying to covertly cough some stray food out of the wrong pipe again. 

“Fuck’s sake, Lix!” Changbin wheezed, ducking under the calculating look Minho threw their way.

“What?” Felix looked as innocent as if he couldn’t even make an angel blush. Changbin didn’t buy it for a second.

“Cut it out…” He mumbled, turning to his food once more. Felix’s suggestion didn’t leave his mind for the rest of dinner, however, and he longed to find out what more Felix had exactly meant to include in his offer; he was clearly not the only one, either.

As soon as they arrived at Changbin’s place, Minho held Felix back by the shoulder. 

“A word, Lix?” He asked, giving Changbin a pointed look to go ahead and give them a moment. Felix just nodded at both, letting Changbin take his bag to drop off in his room as he sent him ahead and waited with curiosity for Minho to speak. Minho stalled a little, but after a moment, he finally spoke up about what he had to say.

“I don’t want to go into detail about this if I don’t have to. Can I trust that you know what you are doing, regarding the offer you made to Changbin earlier?”

Once again, Felix used his most angelic look as he gazed up at Minho.“What do you mean, exactly?”

Minho sighed, slight frustration swinging in his voice.

“The birds and the bees, Felix. Jeez, what the hell did you think? Do I need to give you the sex talk or can I spare us both that uncomfortable topic?”

Felix actually spluttered.

“Hyung! That- Oh my god! Really? Don’t tell me that is part of your job description, too, and you are actually just trying to be a good hyung!”

Minho huffed, shaking his head as he rummaged through the pockets of the coat he had just hung up.

“More than just that, in fact.” He admitted, sounding like he did regret his choice of job at least in that moment. Before Felix could ask, he found what he’d been looking for and shoved a box and a bottle into Felix’s hands. “‘To protect at all cost, body and mind, against threats no matter where from, and through what.’ That’s the first and most important part of my job description. I’m actually not meant to ever leave you alone with anyone who hasn’t undergone a whole background and security check, for no reason. Not even romantic interests; who, along with the background and security checks, if not bound by marriage or at least betrothal, are never meant to be alone in your presence without having a whole health check-up with a focus on contagious and sexually transmissible diseases done, too. You should be grateful I’m just making sure you have condoms and lube should you need them.”

For once, Felix was stunned into silence, not knowing what to say. At least for a moment.

“Wow…” He breathed eventually, swallowing thickly as he looked down at the items in his hands. “That… I had no idea, actually.” He looked up, meeting Minho’s gaze with a sheepish one of his own.

“I hadn’t even meant-... I mean, I wasn’t-... It was not my intention to, you know, sleep with Changbin-hyung tonight. I was hoping for some heated make-out session or something along the lines, but not more. I’m- I’m not even sure if I’m ready for more…” He sounded so uncertain that Minho couldn’t even keep up his gruff act.

“Lix, you don’t need to tell me what you are going to do or not. I just want you to stay safe no matter what it is you are doing. And… This is me as your hyung who cares for you a stupid amount speaking, not as your bodyguard: if you aren’t ready for something, don’t ever force yourself to do it, for no one. Stick to what you want and feel comfortable with, as long as your partner wants the same. But never disregard your own needs and wants, not even for someone who you believe loves you unconditionally, or who you believe you love unconditionally. If they love you, they’ll wait for you, and not force you into anything. And… just in case, if Changbin tries anything you don’t want tonight and won’t stop, scream and I’ll kick down the door, and him into orbit; understood?”

Felix, having grown quiet and listening with his head down while Minho talked, chuckled at that last part.

“Is that also you as a hyung speaking, or you as my bodyguard?”

Minho halted for a second, before a smile broke through on his serious face, too.

“Both, I guess. I care about you, and it’s no longer just a job to protect you. If anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself, as your protector and your hyung.”

Felix’s heart warmed, and he stepped closer to Minho to give him a tight hug.

“Thank you, hyung.” He mumbled against his chest, before pulling away again.

“No need for smooches for me; I believe you mean it without kisses.” Minho teased with a small smirk, and Felix laughed quietly.

“Ok, I’ll take your word for it! But…” He looked down at the objects in his hand again, then up at Minho. “Can you put these in my overnight bag? There is no way I’m walking into the living room with Bin-hyung and Chan and Jisung in there with these in my hands…”

For a moment, Minho looked as if he would happily send Felix to his own embarrassment, but then he shook his head with a sigh.

“‘To protect at all cost, body and mind’... You are so lucky my job description doesn’t allow me to instigate your public humiliation!” With that, he took the lube and box of condoms back from Felix, sending him ahead with a nod. “Go on.”

***

Felix was all too aware of the ‘supplies’ in his overnight bag, but really, Minho needn’t have worried. All he and Changbin were up to were cuddles, anyway. Granted, there had been a bit of a makeout session earlier, and they did share some lazy kisses and soft caresses in bed, but nothing heated; much to Felix’s relief, to be honest. For now, he was just content to finally sleep over at Changbin’s for the first time, after Changbin had already stayed over at his own place a few times. 

Despite this being his first time staying over at Changbin and Chan’s (and Jisung’s) place, he felt significantly less awkward than he had with Changbin sleeping over at his own place. He felt… freer. And yet, still not comfortable enough for more than the little bit of making out and cuddles. 

“Your bed is comfier than mine…” Felix sighed contentedly, eventually, snuggling deeper under the covers and against Changbin’s chest.

“Is it?” Changbin hummed, amused, and Felix hummed back a confirmation. 

“If you say so…” Changbin pressed a small kiss against the top of Felix’s head. “I find both equally comfortable. I like yours better, though, because it’s so… You.”

Felix snorted quietly. “Me…? I don’t know about that… Jeongin and Seungmin are always keeping everything so clean and picked up… If it was truly like my own space, it would be much messier. You’d have to kick several pieces of clothing out of the way to take more than two steps into the room, and would probably stub your toes on a surfboard in the process.”

Changbin laughed quietly at the description. “That bad, huh? Chan-hyung told us a different side of you, about how peculiar you are with your boards, particularly Barney.”

Felix laughed. “It’s ‘Bobby’. I would never name a board Barney; that’s a derogatory term.”

Changbin chuckled incredulously. “No way!”

Felix hummed in confirmation, though. “Really. It’s what we call those groms who think they are all that and oh so cool, when really they are pretty much losers.”

“Hmm, ok. So, Bobby. What’s a grom?”

“Uh, a rookie. Or, more like, a young or inexperienced surfer. Which, of course, is nothing bad, everyone has to start somewhere. It’s just those of them who get it in their head that they are oh so cool just because they caught two waves in a row without wiping out in the soup that are Barneys. And of course, it’s not just groms who can be Barneys; there’s plenty of experienced surfers who think themselves better than everyone else, too. Those are Barneys, too.”

Changbin chuckled quietly. “I swear I only understand like half of what you’re talking about, but you sound so excited about it I could listen to you talk for hours.”

Felix’s heart skipped a beat and stuttered through several more, warming up impossibly with affection; along with his ears.

“Cute.” Changbin chuckled, kissing Felix’s forehead and squeezing him to himself shortly. “Do you miss it? Australia? Surfing?” He asked eventually.

Felix hummed.

“Yeah, but it’s ok for now… I was back home to get stuff before moving here for college. And surfing… It’s only spring in Australia, so I wouldn’t have been surfing this whole time even if I was at home right now. The only one crazy enough to surf during the winter and spring months that I know is Channie.”

“Yeah, he told us about that, too.” Changbin chuckled. “What do you usually do during those months to not miss surfing too much?”

“Dancing. And I got to do plenty of that both on Geodo and now here, obviously.”

“Right…” Changbin knew that, of course. “Do you think you can convince your grandmother to still keep surfing, though? It’s pretty dangerous, isn’t it?”

Felix fell silent, for quite a while. “It’s not  _ that _ dangerous. And I’m good at it. Good at swimming, too. And I would never surf alone, always only when there’s others around so we can keep an eye on each other.”

“I’m not trying to tell you to stop, Lix. I’m just wondering if the Queen would allow it…”

Felix’s expression darkened, morphing into a frown. 

“It’s still  _ my  _ life. I won’t allow anyone to take the things I treasure most from me. If she tries to forbid them, I’ll just do them behind her back.”

Changbin inhaled sharply. 

“You’d risk that? What if she found out?”

“Let her.” Felix huffed, challenging. “See if I care.”

Changbin sighed, shaking his head.

“That… Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Wouldn’t it be better to just talk to her and try to convince her if she’s not understanding?”

Felix stiffened in Changbin’s arms, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Like you talk to your parents about us and convince them to let us date freely?” 

Changbin froze, too, at that.

“Sorry, hyung, but you can’t exactly lecture me on how it’s better to discuss openly and not to keep secrets if you do the same; and if you are the reason for some of those secrets.”

“That’s… Not the same.” Changbin mumbled, almost just a whisper.

“It’s close enough. And I still don’t know how you were planning on us to work out more long term if we are to keep this up…”

“I do want us to work out long-term, though!” Changbin hurried to reassure Felix. 

They had discussed it before, since neither was looking for just a fling, and their feelings for each other had deepened quite a bit. For several reasons, which Changbin didn’t fully disclose to Felix, he didn’t want his parents to find out about his relationship with Felix anymore than Felix wanted the press to find out. That also meant that Felix didn’t get to tell his grandmother about them - which he had been hesitant about anyway, unsure how she would react to her grandson being very much gay and Geodo kind of pretty traditionalist - out of fear of her having Changbin’s parents informed. Of course, if they didn’t want what they had to remain just a fling and to last longer, to be able to extend beyond their time at college, even, they would all have to find out eventually; but that was something Changbin apparently planned to deal with when the time came, to Felix’s dismay.

“I’ll figure something out… Eventually.” Changbin whispered quietly, and Felix let out an inaudible sigh.

***

Changbin did, in fact, not figure anything out. And that was a source for many an argument between Felix and him as time passed. 

Felix’s first year in college passed, and Changbin had yet to tell his parents about them. Felix, of course, kept their relationship a secret, too, as per Changbin’s request. Granted, Minho, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin knew about them, but they were sworn to secrecy, too. And of course, the same went for Chan and Jisung. 

Over the summer, Felix returned to Geodo, and while he’d learned a lot on the side during his time in college, his princely training intensified as he returned to the castle. Functions and balls alternated with parliament meetings and senate gatherings, interspersed with open hearings for the island nation’s people and their queen (and now prince, too). Between all of it, Felix somehow did manage to find some time to surf, even if the Queen insisted on the royal guard accompanying him, on stand-by with boats and jet-skis, and there would have been a helicopter, too, if Felix hadn’t talked his grandmother out of it and managed to deal it down to one of the simple fully equipped ambulances reserved purely for the royal family, waiting by the beach. 

Felix had felt bad about the over-kill at first, not wanting to trouble so many people just so he could go have some fun, but Minho reassured him the people deployed wouldn’t mind the break to catch some of the sea breeze and sun-rays at all, rather than going through repetitive drills all afternoon. And so, Felix relented, and learned to enjoy his times off on the heavy, racy waves that rolled to shore on their islands.

With his heavy-packed days, the summer passed quickly, and Felix returned to college, and to Changbin, who he barely got to see during the summer except on some of the bigger functions at the palace to which he also got to invite friends of his own.

Soon a year had passed since they started dating, and Changbin had yet to figure out what he would do regarding telling his parents about them. Felix wondered if they were homophobic, but Changbin assured him that was not it; what  _ it _ was, he didn’t tell Felix, either, though.

In general, Changbin became extremely closed-off whenever the topic strayed towards letting his parents know about them; he wouldn’t tell Felix why he couldn’t tell them, shooting down all of Felix’s guesses, too, nor didn’t he tell him when he would tell them. And, of course, that ended up working away on Felix’s self-esteem and raised doubts he had believed long buried in him.

Was Changbin really as serious about their relationship as he claimed he was? Was he really planning on telling his parents, ever? What if he wasn’t? What if he just wanted to be with him while they were in college, and once he graduated, he’d just disappear?

Of course, Felix ended up spilling his guts to Chan, who comforted him by telling him Changbin was not like that. And yet… How could Chan really know? He’d only known Changbin for one year longer than Felix, too. And he had no clue about why he didn’t want his parents to find out about them, either.

Considering the build-up, it was remarkable that Felix and Changbin’s first really big fight only happened half-way through Felix’s third year in college, at which point Changbin had still not decided what to do, and Felix was starting to really have enough of it. 

Over the last small break that he got to spend on Geodo, he had found out for sure that his grandmother was definitely not homophobic, since he accidentally walked in on her passionately kissing her lady’s maid. Now, that was an image that nearly led Felix to resorting to bleaching his eyes, and consulting with the resident royal physician in the palace about lobotomies for good measure, but it had led to a very eye-opening talk with his grandmother in which he learned about the surprisingly open and progressive stance on Geodo about same-sex relationships and marriages. And, during that talk, Felix nearly slipped and told his grandma about Changbin. He caught himself at the very last moment, but not before the Queen understood there was something he wanted to say. Thankfully, she was understanding about Felix not being able to tell her.

Once Felix was back in Seoul, however, he confronted Changbin and expressed his wishes to finally come out and clean to his grandmother, since he felt like keeping the secret from her was putting quite the strain on their relationship, a strain he loathed. Changbin vehemently refused, even after Felix promised he’d get his grandmother to swear to secrecy, too. The conversation soon turned heated, accusations were thrown around, hurtful things said that should never have been put into words. 

Felix and Changbin didn’t talk for a week, before Chan had enough of both their sulking and forced them to figure their shit out.

And they did. Felix promised to be more understanding, more patient with Changbin, and Changbin reassured Felix that he did love him, more than anything, and that he would tell his parents about him, soon. And then, they’d be able to let the Queen and whoever else Felix wanted to know, too.

He never specified how soon  _ soon _ was, though. And  _ soon _ , Felix was in his last year of college, Changbin already graduated and pursuing his master’s degree, and nothing had changed. To add fuel to the whole situation, their time spent together became less, too, since Changbin was often gone for a whole week or more now, off… somewhere. Sometimes related to his degree, sometimes to work, and sometimes to his parents. 

Often to his parents.

Every time he came back from those times spent with his parents, Changbin was in a challenging, irritable mood for at least a day or two; and yet, those were the only times Felix never heard anything about, what Changbin had done while off with them, what had been discussed, what done, when usually, he told Felix in great detail what he’d been up to in their time spent apart. Only one thing Felix was sure about didn’t happen while Changbin was with his parents: Changbin telling them about him and Felix. 

And yet, Felix reminded himself to be patient, to not pressure Changbin, like he’d promised.

But time passed. And passed. And continued passing. And soon, the year was pretty much over again, and still nothing had happened, no progress whatsoever. On the contrary, really, as Changbin spent more and more time with his parents, and more - almost all - of the time back in Seoul and with Felix more irritable than ever. 

Eventually, Felix had to confront Changbin again. He was once again starting to feel really, really lost, and with his upcoming graduation and return to Geodo, and still not being able to tell anyone back in either of his homes about Changbin, his insecurities were not just skyrocketing, but he believed them pretty much confirmed.

He should probably have chosen a better moment for the conversation he had planned than the evening when Changbin came back from a full eight days with his parents, but… well, it was what it was. And what it was, was a big disaster.

“I told you, I’ll figure it out soon!” Changbin nearly yelled when Felix asked him if he’d told his parents this time.

“Well, you’ve been saying that for over three years now!” Felix exasperated, too. “I’m graduating, hyung! Graduating and going back to Geodo! How do you think we are supposed to work if we’re only going to see each other every other month, and spend maybe a total of ten minutes together, in public, during those times?”

Changbin had frozen and given Felix a glare that Felix would rather not interpret.

“You tell me! Why am I the one who’s supposed to figure that out on my own, anyway?!” He exasperated, and Felix had had enough, too.

“Maybe because you are the reason why we have to figure that out at all! Why can’t you just fucking tell your parents already that we’re together and be done with it?!”

“It’s not that easy! If it was, don’t you think I would have done it already?! You just don’t understand!” Changbin bit back, but Felix wouldn’t let that just sit on him.

“Maybe if you fucking  _ told me _ why it’s not that easy, I would understand! But you don’t tell me shit and just expect me to accept your vague ass excuses all the time-...!”

“You didn’t grow up the way I did, Felix, you literally  _ can’t _ understand! There are obligations that come with growing up in the circles I did that you wouldn’t even dream of!”

“Please!” Felix scoffed. “I don’t understand? Maybe I didn’t grow up in the same circles as you, but I am a fucking  _ prince _ , hyung. One that got ripped out of the perfectly calm, boring, mundane life I had because of  _ obligations _ ; obligations I knew nothing about before they completely changed every single aspect of my life! You at least had time to get used to your obligations, you grew into them; I was thrown into them from one day to the other, I went from total freedom to having every breath I take monitored, controlled, directed, because I have the future of a whole _ country _ resting on my shoulders and depending on every single one of my breaths; don’t come talking to me about not understanding what it means to have  _ obligations!”  _

Felix sounded venomous in his heated rant, and he realized that himself. Changbin looked taken aback by it, too, and Felix took the chance to ground himself, sort his thoughts, and deliver the killing blow to Changbin. “Just admit that you are just a coward who can’t just ‘fess-up! That, or you’ve really just been playing me all this time and don’t care about our future, after all; not if any work to achieve it is involved. I’m tired, hyung. I’m tired of being played, of being left hanging, of not knowing what the fuck it is that is holding you back, of being made to feel as if I’m something to be embarrassed or ashamed of all the time. Make up your mind about what you want from us, and sort your shit out, or pack your things. If you can’t be arsed to finally make your moves or at least explain yourself to me, then I’m done with you.”

Changbin gaped at Felix, incredulity and hurt written all over his face before he reigned himself in and hid it all behind a steely mask.

“You don’t mean that…” He breathed, but Felix remained impassive this time.

“Oh, I do. I’m dead serious, Changbin.”

The name, without honorific or endearment, was like a slap in Changbin’s face.

“You are such an asshole, Lee Felix…” Changbin pressed out, and Felix wasn’t sure if it was anger or tears choking him up. He didn’t care in that moment, either.

“Likewise, Seo Changbin.” 

Changbin grit his teeth, and without another word, he turned and left, slamming the front door of Felix’s apartment. 

It took a few minutes, but eventually, all strength left Felix as the reality of the situation and their fight sunk in, and he crumpled in on himself, sobbing heart wrenchingly.

It was obvious that the other four occupants of the apartment had heard the entirety of their fight, too, more than familiar with the topic, anyway, but as they came out eventually, no one judged Felix. No one mentioned anything when Hyunjin sat next to Felix and pulled him into his arms to let him cry into his chest, or when he had exhausted himself and Minho had to carry him to his room, where Seungmin helped him get ready for bed and tucked in, while Jeongin brewed tea and put together something light for Felix to eat so he wouldn’t have to go to bed with an empty stomach. 

Felix fell asleep eventually, clinging to Hyunjin again, but missing Changbin; and Chan, too. He  _ really _ missed Chan, but he didn’t want to call him, since he was most likely busy comforting Changbin; and as much as he was mad right now, he didn’t want to take that away from Changbin. He might be an asshole, but not that much of an asshole.

***

Felix was still sulking the next morning when everyone’s phones in the apartment went off nearly at the same time. Before Felix could check his own, though, Minho covered the screen and gently pried it out of his hands.

“We’re going home. The Queen has fallen ill.”


	4. Part 4

Felix didn’t hesitate to return back to Geodo. As soon as the initial shock wore off, he and Minho were on a plane back to the islands, while Seungmin and Jeongin stayed behind to handle their luggage and catch up to them later.

As soon as he arrived, Felix headed straight to his grandmother’s quarters. No one dared to stop him, and in no time he was knocking gently at his grandmother’s door.

“Granny?” He called out quietly, to not wake her up, just in case she was sleeping.

A hand landed on his shoulder as he leaned his ear against the door to catch a possible response, and he jumped in place before he recognized his grandmother’s lady’s maid. 

“Oh…” Felix swallowed, not quite meeting the woman’s eyes; if there was any one person in the palace he’d listen to if they told him he couldn’t go see his grandmother right now, it would be this woman.

“You came. Good.” The elderly maid smiled softly. “Siyeon- Her Majesty didn’t want to alarm you, but we collectively decided it would be best to call you home to take care of things while she can’t, after all.”

Felix frowned a little, but nodded. 

“You don’t have to call her ‘Her Majesty’ when it’s just the two of us, Yoohyeon-ssi.” He prefaced. “I know of the kind of relationship you have, after all.” 

The woman smiled, soft, yet also a little pained. “I understand. If you wish, feel free to comfortably call me auntie, too.”

“Ok, auntie.” Felix nodded gratefully. “And thank you, for calling me. For how long has grandma been feeling ill?”

Yoohyeon sighed, her smile fading. “For too long… As much as we don’t like to acknowledge it, we are both not the youngest anymore, you see… But, this bad…? A month, perhaps.”

Felix’s eyes widened in incredulity. “A month? And you only tell me now?!”

“You had finals to focus on, Prince Felix. Siyeon was adamant we don’t disturb you until you finished them. She said your education was very important to you and to respect that. She didn’t want to see you disturbed with matters of the crown while away to complete your education. You had an agreement, after all.”

Felix huffed, incredulous, as he raked a hand through his hair in a clearly stressed manner.

“This… This isn’t just a matter of the crown, though! This is my granny! To hell with my education if my granny is sick!”

Yoohyeon tutted softly, shaking her head. “No good would have come out of you sacrificing your studies just to sit around here, worrying about things you couldn’t do anything about, anyway. She wouldn’t have listened to you any more than she does anyone else, and it is only now that her condition got so bad she can’t attend to her duties as ruler of this country anymore that she has agreed to rest.”

“Ok… Ok.” Felix, rubbed at his temples, trying to will the stress away and calm himself down. “Can I see her, though?”

Yoohyeon looked a little worried, but nodded softly.

“Of course. Be warned, though, since the sight of her might catch you by surprise. You can tell she is ill by looking at her, and she looks different than you might remember her.”

Felix felt a new wave of worry settle heavily in his stomach, and Yoohyeon rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m not telling you this to scare you, just so you won’t be shocked when you see her. Let’s go in, to keep you from suffering any more in anticipation.”

Felix was very grateful for that, and finally followed Yoohyeon when the maid gently opened the door to the bedroom.

“Siyeonie, my dove?” She called out, and there was answering movement from the bed. “You have a visitor.” The movement stopped abruptly. “It’s your grandson.”

“Yoohyeon!” Came a quiet, chastising answer, before the Queen tried to sit up by herself. Yoohyeon was by her side in an instant.

Felix felt relief wash over him as he saw his grandmother, though. She looked a little pale, her cheeks a little sunken in, and the lack of make-up revealed some shadows under her eyes that Felix wasn’t used to seeing, but overall, she didn’t look anywhere near as bad as Felix had feared following Yoohyeon’s warning.

As soon as the Queen saw Felix, though, her expression brightened.

“Felix, child, you’re here. I am sorry you were called in-”

“Nonsense, granny! If I’d known you were sick, I would have come back much sooner!” Felix interrupted her, and the Queen pursed her lips.

“Which is exactly why I didn’t want anyone to tell you before now.” She chastised. “There was no need for you to worry your pretty little head about me or anything else aside from your studies before now.”

Felix huffed, shaking his head as he took his grandmother’s hand in between his own. He held it gently, though, afraid to hurt her if he held on too tight.

“Of course there was! Granny, I care about you; I want to know these kinds of things! And I want to help you, wherever I can! I haven’t been training and learning all this time for nothing; there is no need for you to strain yourself so much if I can help you!”

Queen Siyeon gave Felix a smile so warm and proud, Felix nearly felt it physically on his body.

“My precious child… You shouldn’t have to have been in college all this time just to have to abandon it so close to finishing your degree, either, though. And I managed just fine until now. But…!” She adverted, raising her voice slightly to stop Felix from interrupting her. “I will gladly accept your help now. It looks like I have no other choice, anyway, since a certain someone won’t even let me leave the bed to go further than the bathroom anymore…!” She threw a look to the other side of the room, where Yoohyeon was busying herself to give grandmother and grandson some privacy. At the slight jab in her direction, Yoohyeon sent a meaningful glance back, though.

“I am merely insisting that doctor’s orders are followed!”

“And rightly so!” Felix agreed. “Really, granny, you need to rest and do what the doctors tell you to get better quickly. I’ll do whatever I can in the meantime to help you!”

The Queen sighed, but it was fond. “With you two on my case, I really don’t have a choice, do I?”

***

Queen Siyeon wasn’t given a choice, and neither was Felix; not really. Just because he had wanted to take over his grandmother’s duties while she couldn’t, it didn’t make it any easier. 

Instead of simply sitting in on meetings, he had to actively lead and participate in them now. He had decisions to make, many of them not easy at all. He had suggestions of his own to elaborate and solutions for problems to find, plans to make and important people to meet, often to mediate between parties, to find compromises, compensations, and ways to please and appease everyone involved in many a conflict. 

While he still consulted with his grandmother a lot, he tried to reduce the need for that as much as possible, to let her rest and focus on her recovery. He succeeded at it, too, and became more and more independent. Either way, though, his days were packed, and he was exhausted in ways he had never been before by the end of every day.

Between his new duties, worrying about his grandmother, and crashing into dreamless sleep at the end of the day, Felix didn’t find much time to think about Changbin. That didn’t mean that he found  _ no _ time, at all; no. And he did contact Changbin, he told him why he had left Seoul so abruptly, what was going on, and why he was so busy right now. Via text, because Changbin didn’t pick up his calls. His texts were read, too, but he never got a reply. Felix apologized, too, for his words during their fight, for the fight in the first place, and for taking so long to do so; he had wanted to talk about it in person, at first, then over call, but when Changbin didn’t pick up, he did resort to texts. Once again, the messages were left on read. 

Felix hesitated to talk to Chan about his troubles in his relationship with Changbin; on some days, he just really didn’t want Chan to feel like he had to choose between two friends, and on others, he genuinely believed Chan knew all there was to know about their fight already, but only Changbin’s version, and he’d chosen Changbin’s side.

That was complete bullshit, of course, which he was reminded of by both Hyunjin and Minho when he voiced those worries. And when even Seungmin and Jeongin scoffed at those worries, and then further proceeded to remind Felix that the sole reason he wasn’t talking as often as he used to to Chan was because he usually fell asleep before he could even change into his pyjamas, never mind pick up his phone at night - not because Chan didn’t want to talk to him, since he had called both of them multiple times to ask when Felix was available - Felix finally relented and spilled all his worries to Chan.

Chan couldn’t help him much with them, either, though, since he didn’t know any more about Changbin’s reasoning than Felix did. He told Felix he was left on read by Changbin, too, and sometimes even that took days to happen, so it was not just Felix who was being ghosted. The same went for Jisung, apparently. All either of them knew was that Changbin was extremely busy with something to do with his parents, their business and some social obligations that he was really struggling with. No one knew any details, though. What Chan thought could reassure Felix, though, was the fact that Changbin had apparently sworn that he ‘couldn’t keep doing this to Felix’, and that he would ‘do it right by him’ before he had essentially disappeared; whatever that meant.

On some days, that did give Felix hope; and on others it did nothing for him. On some of the worse ones, it even served to convince him that Changbin was definitely done with him, that they were over, that there was no hope for them whatsoever. 

He was given even less time to think about it all too soon, though, as his grandmother’s condition worsened instead of getting better. With the possibility of her not recovering, they started serious preparations for her to abdicate and Felix to take the throne as soon as possible. Felix hated that, not just because he didn’t feel ready. He didn’t, not really, but he would do what he had to, for his granny; for his country. He hated it most because it felt like everyone was giving up on his grandmother, that amazing, powerful woman who seemed so unshakeable, a force to be reckoned with at any time, an inspiration, and someone Felix had learned to hold incredibly dear. 

Whenever he could, Felix would spend time with her during his busy days, often falling asleep at her bedside in the evenings, even. It was during one of those days that his grandmother eventually decided to drop a bombshell on him that he had never even entertained the possibility of in his dreams. 

“There is something I have to tell you, something that I wish I didn’t have to tell you…” She introduced, and Felix felt immediate dread coil in his stomach.

“What is it, granny?” He wished she’d just tell him without further preamble.

“Will you promise me that you’ll try not to get mad?”

Felix frowned, tilting his head with a worriedly cocked eyebrow. “Try? Not even that I won’t get mad, just that I’ll  _ try  _ not to get mad? Granny how bad is it?”

She sighed, shaking her head as she took Felix’s hand in her own, stroking it softly. 

“I’ve gotten to know you well over the past years, my precious child. I just know you will hate this… And I want you to know that I tried to reverse it over the past few years, but there was nothing I could do…”

Felix swallowed thickly, his hand trembling slightly in his grandmother’s hold, prompting her to hold it tighter.

“Just tell me, please?” He begged in nearly a whisper, and the Queen relented.

“Ok… It’s… Ever since before you were born… Before you were conceived, even…” Felix’s worry grew, since it was not like his grandmother to hesitate like that. “What I’m trying to say, is… You are engaged, Felix.” She finally said it.

Felix stared at the sickly Queen as if she had just told him he had suddenly grown a second head. Actually, he would have been more inclined to believe that, and accept it and live with it, too, than… This.

“I am…  _ what?” _

The Queen sighed, faltering back into her pillows and staring at the ceiling as she didn’t feel like she could meet her grandson’s eyes right now.

“Engaged. It was an agreement, a contract, that was signed when it first became public knowledge that your father was courting your mother. You see… there had been an agreement that he was to marry the heir of the most influential family of Geodo, which he had broken when he decided to court your mother instead. To save the throne from the wrath of the scorned family, it was decided that the next generation of heirs of both families were to be betrothed then and there, with a binding contract attached to it, so something like that couldn’t happen again. That was before you were even conceived…”

Felix could only stare at his grandmother, slack-jawed, for quite a while.

“You just… decided that before I even  _ existed? _ Before you could even know if I would exist at all? Just like that? Without… Without taking  _ anything  _ about me in consideration?”

Queen Siyeon sighed deeply, shaking her head.

“It seemed the logical thing to do at the time… Your father and grandfather negotiated the terms, since your father refused to break off with your mother to honour the previous agreement, and the family was relentless.”

“And mom just let it happen?”

“Your mother didn’t know about any of this. You have to remember, this was before she was even brought to the palace, and when she was, eventually… It didn’t take long before the horrible accident that killed your father happened. Your mother moved to Australia with you, and we didn’t have much contact in those years you lived there. She never learned of it. I was hoping the other party would forget about the contract, too, but it turns out they didn’t. And they insist it be upheld, at all cost, even though their heir does not agree with it, either. I tried to negotiate breaking it off, but there is no way to do it, unless…” 

Felix swallowed thickly.

“Unless…?” He prompted, and his grandmother took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly before she spoke again.

“Unless you abdicate of the throne and of all your rights and titles as heir to the royal family of Geodo.”

Felix hissed sharply, his eyes narrowing.

“I can’t do that. Geodo needs an heir!”

Queen Siyeon sighed, holding Felix’s hand tighter.

“Felix… My Lixie…” She looked back at him, catching his gaze with her own, intense one. “I just want you to know… For me, what is most important is your happiness. I used to think differently, but… Not after I have gotten to know you, not anymore. If you did want to abdicate, I would not hold it against you. And… I cannot believe I am saying this, but I have learned a great deal in these last days of mine, and… If I could go back in time, in my life, I would do many a thing differently, for myself; regardless of what the public might think of it.” At that, she glanced towards the almost invisible door leading to a second, smaller chamber connected to her own bedroom: Yoohyeon’s room. “Love is a powerful thing, possibly the most powerful of all. If you want to choose love over the throne, believe me when I tell you, I understand. And I support you, whatever your decision may be.”

Felix felt tears prick at his eyes, and he wasn’t doing a good job holding them back. 

His grandmother cupped his face gently, wiping at the tears that made it past Felix’s attempts to hold them back, and Felix caught her hand against his face. 

“Granny…” He whispered with a broken voice. “Don’t talk like that, ok? You’ll get better again. You have to!”

Queen Siyeon chuckled sadly.

“That is all you took away from what I said? Oh, Lixie…” She stroked his face softly. “Think about the rest of what I said, too, ok?”

“There isn’t much to think about, granny…” Felix sighed after swallowing thickly. “I want to choose love, but I can’t just run away from my duties. I can’t leave you, and all of Geodo hanging for my own selfish gain… For something… Someone… Someone who could just as easily walk out of my life again and act like I never even mattered from one day to the other, no matter how I feel about them or what I gave up for them… I can’t do that.”

It was painfully obvious what Felix’s words were spurred on by, and his grandmother picked up on that, too.

“Oh, my sweet child… Who hurt you like that, hm?” She ran a comforting hand through his hair, but Felix shook his head.

“I can’t tell you… He had his reasons why he never wanted me to tell you about us, and even if he never told me-... Even if he isn’t even talking to me these days… I can’t just betray his trust, even now. That’s not like me.”

The Queen sighed, dropping her hand to hold Felix’s on top of the duvet instead. 

“You have become such a fine young man, baby… I hope he deserves your trust. And if he hurts you and you so wish… I’ll reinstate public flogging as a punishment as my last act as queen and have him prosecuted by the law of Geodo! No one hurts my baby!”

Felix laughed sadly, but shook his head. “It’s ok, granny. I am sure he has his reasons. I don’t want to see him hurt.” 

“You are so pure, baby… You need to grow a thicker skin to be King to this country…” The Queen said, but she didn’t sound disappointed in the slightest about Felix’s lack of thick skin.

“I’m only soft-hearted with those I care about, granny. I know when to be rational rather than emotional.” Felix sighed, but his tone was decided, assertive. “Which is why I am not going to abdicate. I don’t even need to think about it, I won’t shy away from my duties. And if that means I have to marry someone I never even met, so be it. Our country and my duties to it come first.”

Queen Siyeon studied his face for a moment, but decided he was being serious, and patted his hand again softly. 

“You know… This marriage… You can see it as just a business relationship. You will rule together, split your duties to run this country between yourselves… But it is not expected that you love them. You might even become friends, eventually, but considering how they are also fighting - if in vain - to not have to pull through with this, I am sure you can find an agreement between yourselves that allows you to find love outside of your marriage. It is not uncommon for that to happen in these circles where marriages are arranged more often than they are out of love. All you have to do is make sure the public never learns about it.”

Instead of reassuring him, his grandmother’s words put a heavy weight in his stomach.

“I don’t think I can do that, granny. Not anymore. Not after… After keeping everything a secret was what most likely cost me the one I loved so much for the past four years… I don’t think I can do this again…”

“I am so sorry, baby…” The Queen sighed. “I wish I could take this burden from you…”

Felix shook his head, though, putting on a brave face. 

“It’s ok, granny. I will be ok. Don’t worry about it.”

***

Felix was not really ok with it, not at all. He hated the idea of being engaged with a total stranger he knew nothing about. He didn’t even know their name, age, gender… Nothing! And he was supposed to marry them! And soon, too, by the looks of it, since their family were pushing for it to happen before Felix’s coronation, and that was being scheduled as early as possible, too, because of his grandmother’s deteriorating health and unlikeliness to return to her duties as Queen. 

Unfortunately, the family was indeed a powerful one, and while Felix had no desire to deal with them and their heartless greed, it didn’t mean it didn’t have to happen.

In one aspect he followed his grandmother’s advice regarding that marriage, and that was that he treated it like a business relationship; mainly, by delegating everything to do with it to his grandmother’s advisors and secretaries - since he didn’t have his own yet. He knew he was avoiding the unavoidable, but he was adamant about pushing that topic he despised so much as far down the line as he could. He had other pressing issues to deal with, anyway. 

One of those pressing issues was that he had to break up with Changbin, officially. They hadn’t talked in over a month, so he was pretty much sure they were over, anyway, but still… He had to end it properly. And yet, he refused to just do it any which way, over text or even a call. And so, he decided he would do it when he was back in Seoul for his graduation ceremony. Surely, Changbin would be there, since it was Jisung’s graduation, too. And even if he wasn’t… Surely they would find time to meet for just ten minutes sometime while he was there!

He sent texts to Changbin ahead of time, asking him to meet him if he attended the graduation ceremony in itself, or anytime during the two days he would be in town. As always, his texts were read, but he got no reply. 

Frustrated, Felix decided to ignore Changbin’s lack of answer, too, and focus his all on the preparations for the official engagement announcement, where he’d meet his fiancé for the first time, as well as the wedding preparations two weeks later, and the coronation following before the end of the month as well; all while still working out the usual daily, weekly, monthly and any other issues that came up as part of his new role as stand-in for the Queen. 

It was exhausting enough that he almost looked forward to the two day break his graduation would provide him with before it all, forgetting all about his plan to officially end things with Changbin sometime during those two days. His main source of sadness was the fact his grandmother wouldn’t be able to attend his graduation; but at least his mother would be there, and Chan. And Minho, of course, and Hyunjin. Seungmin and Jeongin were invited as guests, as well, and obviously, Jisung was there as well. That meant Felix had at least  _ almost _ all of the important people in his life there with him, and his grandmother and Yoohyeon - who he’d also gotten much closer to over the past weeks - promised to watch the ceremony via livestream, available through courtesy of Jeongin.

And still, it stung immensely when Chan told him Changbin wouldn’t attend the ceremony. Apparently, he was extremely busy still with something about his parent’s businesses. He’d come by to take the last of his things from the apartment he’d shared with Chan and Jisung for the past five years the day before and left a letter for Felix. Chan mentioned how weird Changbin had been during his stay, barely talking to him or Jisung the whole time his parents’ people helped him pack up and take out his things, how tired - no, exhausted even - he’d looked, and how… sad. His behaviour had made no sense to either Chan or Jisung, and they both swore something weird was going on with Changbin that he was most likely not in control of, and begged Felix to let them know if Changbin disclosed anything in that letter to Felix that he could share with them. Felix didn’t know what to think of it, but he decided to postpone opening the letter until after the graduation ceremony, and until he was somewhere private where he could cry without anyone knowing; because he was sure the letter would hold nothing that wouldn’t make him cry.

He was proven right when he read it that evening, in the privacy of his room.

It was a short letter, a note only, almost, and it looked hastily written. It didn’t tell him much, other than that Changbin had told his parents about them, and had been on house arrest ever since then, with no access to his phone, or computers other than surveilled ones for work, so he had no way to contact him. And that that wouldn’t matter anymore soon, anyway, since his parents were forcing him to pull through with an arranged marriage contract that had been drafted when he had still been a baby, and that he had spent all these years trying to have annulled; without success.

Throughout all that, Felix remained almost emotionless, reading the letter with a sense of detachment. And then, he reached the end.

_ “This situation was what I always feared would happen if my parents learned about us. And selfishly, I wanted to spend as much time with you as I possibly could, even if we ended up fighting; which was also why I never told anyone about the contract, out of fear you would leave me when you learned about it. I am so sorry for all the pain my selfish love has caused you. But, selfishly, I still have to tell you that even though I will be marrying someone else soon, that I have always, and will always, only love you. I’m sorry, and I love you, Forever Yours, Bin” _

By the time he reached the end of the letter, Felix was full on sobbing, barely able to make out the last letters of Changbin’s farewell.

“Fuck you, Seo Changbin!” Felix wailed into his pillow, punching the mattress, before pain won over anger again and he just longed for what he couldn’t have, heartbroken. 

He almost wished Changbin had never managed to have this letter delivered to him.

***

Felix allowed himself to wallow in his heartbreak until he returned to Geodo and had to focus on the upcoming events waiting for him, of which the first would be the announcement of his engagement, as well as finally meeting his fiancé. 

In a way, Felix learned to understand it as a blessing that the engagement announcement would be made soon in the days leading up to it. Ever since it had become unavoidable to hide the Queen’s sickness from the public, and it had become apparent that she might not recover, meaning Felix would be crowned King soon to take over the throne, countless proposals asking for Felix’s hand in marriage had been arriving at the castle.

Felix had them all rejected, but many a hopeful single made it a point to show up during visiting and audition times in person, too. And, to put it frankly, Felix hated it. With every one he saw, he was just reminded that he would have to marry someone who was as much a stranger to him as all these people, someone who he wanted to turn away as much as he wanted to turn away these people. That, and that Changbin -  _ his _ Changbin! - was facing the same fate, even though-

He couldn’t think about it, not here, not in public, not while he had to grant at least some twenty something more auditions before the meeting with the senate, and he really couldn’t afford a break now - never mind a breakdown - if he wanted to grab a bite to eat before that.

For what felt like the millionth time, Felix reigned himself in and smiled pleasantly at the next person coming up to him. He could do this; only one more day…!

One more day, and then he was no longer a free man. Not that he was now, either, but… He liked to believe that at least until it was official, some kind of miracle could still happen and save him from impending doom.

***

The announcement of the engagement was not scheduled to be held at the palace, but rather on the front steps of the grand hotel in the capital of Geodo, overseeing the whole central plaza, where it looked like the entire population of the whole country was gathering to witness the “mystery” announcement. 

It was not yet time, though; Felix hadn’t even met his fiancé yet, and the closer it got to the scheduled time for their first meeting, the more nervous he got.

On one hand, he didn’t understand why; he had thought himself thoroughly prepared, and did see this as merely a business relationship at this point. He had no illusions about magically falling in love with the person he was to marry without even knowing, or whatever other fairytale bullshit that happened in sappy rom-com movies and the cheap three dollar novels from the groceries store. And he had told himself countless times now that he was fine with that.

On the other hand, though… It just made sense to him that he was nervous. In a way, he was about to damn his whole life away to a loveless existence with the impending announcement. Who wouldn’t be nervous about that?!

Bitter amusement welled up inside of him as he recalled a conversation he’d had with Chan all those years ago, when he’d just met his grandmother and was still vehemently refusing to even let her fully explain what she’d come seek him out for. In the end, he’d been right: he didn’t have to finish watching the movie he’d fallen asleep to half way through to know what would happen once the royal grandmother showed up. He had been right all along, having moved half-way across the globe, being on the verge of taking over a throne he hadn’t ever dreamed of sitting on and to do so, he was about to doom himself to a loveless existence by marrying a stranger. 

Feeling the need to have his ‘I-told-you-so’ moment, just to distract himself from his own nerves, Felix sought out Chan where he was sitting, staring blankly into the distance; or at least that was what Felix assumed he was doing, since he couldn’t see what would be so interesting about the hotel’s back parking lot, the only other thing visible from the window.

Once Felix finished, Chan hummed in thought, finally tearing his eyes away from the window to face Felix as he nodded slowly. “You don’t know that yet, Lix. It might not be as loveless as you think right now, after all…”

Felix scoffed, though, slumping into the window seat opposite Chan.

“Love doesn’t just happen in arranged marriages like this one. That’s bullshit made up by frustrated middle-aged white women who seek refuge from their own loveless marriages in make-belief worlds that they pen down late at night after their shitty husbands have fallen asleep after cumming in two minutes and leaving them unsatisfied yet again.”

Chan blinked slowly at Felix with an unreadable expression.

“Wow… I would ask who hurt you if I didn’t know already, but,  _ damn…” _

“Whatever…” Felix huffed yet again. “Anyway, before you suggest I look for love outside my marriage, in secret, too: forget it. Secrets were what tore me and Changbin-” He choked up abruptly, tears welling up in his eyes that he fought down angrily. “It was what tore us apart in the first place.” He eventually managed to quietly croak out around a thick lump in his throat. 

Chan shook his head, though.

“Lix… That was not it and you know it. You never had any other secrets in your relationship, and this one only existed because of his parents. The only ones tearing you apart were his parents… And whoever it is that is insisting on you pulling through with a marriage contract you never signed in the first place, regardless of your and your financé’s feelings.”

Of course, Chan had gotten the whole story from Felix as soon as he’d found time to finally let him in on everything. What was truly remarkable in this was that Chan apparently had managed to understand everything Felix had told him through his broken sobs, muffled against Chan’s chest.

“If it wasn’t for all these old farts meddling in business that isn’t theirs, you and Bin would have been fine. And you still-”

“They’re here!” Chan was suddenly interrupted by Seungmin skidding into the room. Felix instantly felt sick, shaky on his legs as he jumped up, and it took Chan steadying him for him not to fall right back down. 

Felix stood motionless as Jeongin flitted over to smooth the wrinkles out of the back of Felix’s tuxedo from where he’d been sitting on it, and fix a few strands of his hair, before him and Seungmin scurried off to the adjacent room to wait there. 

In the meantime, Yoohyeon had helped Queen Siyeon into the room. The short walk from the adjacent room over had visibly exhausted her, but as much as Felix insisted he could do this on his own, his grandmother had in turn stubbornly insisted to be there during the meeting as well as the formal announcement. Obviously, her stubbornness had years upon years more experience over Felix’s, and so she had won this debate. 

Now, Felix was grateful for her presence as she sat next to where he was standing, holding his hand in her own with a surprisingly strong, and therefore all the more comforting and grounding grip. Her presence and Chan’s, who was standing slightly behind him with a concealed hand on the small of Felix back to reassure him of his presence and support. 

The only other one in the room aside from them was Minho, who surveyed them with a sharp gaze to make sure they were all ok as he slowly nodded to whatever his colleagues on the other side of the door were telling him over the in-ear that connected them.

“They have arrived. Ready when you are.” He eventually relayed the message to Felix and the Queen.

Felix looked down at his grandmother, asking for guidance, but she returned the look with a small shake of her head.

“Your call, love.” 

Felix exhaled slowly. He didn’t want to, didn’t want any of this, not with his heart; but there was no use stalling any longer.

“Ok.” He breathed, and Minho relayed the order to his colleagues outside.

Following a sharp knock, the handles on the door were pressed down, and the double doors pushed open.

Felix recognized the faces of the stern Lord and Lady that stepped into the room from the times he had welcomed them to functions and balls at the castle, but he hadn’t expected them to be the ones behind all this. He couldn’t see their daughter anywhere, either, but instead-...

The sharp gasp coming from Chan was all the warning he got before he saw him, too, and his knees buckled. Chan caught him before he could fall, and in a matter of seconds, Minho was there, too, blocking the view between Felix and the new arrivals.

“Felix?” Queen Siyeon asked quietly, alarmed, and that managed to force Felix to gather his bearings.

“What is the meaning of this?” Demanded the cold voice of Lord Seo, yet Minho refused to step out of the way, protecting Felix still. 

From Minho and Chan’s faces, Felix could read that they, too, hadn’t known about this particular development, and for some reason, that made Felix feel better. 

“Felix, love, do we need to interrupt this meeting?” The Queen asked, too, then, and it was what finally grounded Felix again.

“No… No, granny, it’s ok. I’m ok. Just- surprised. Shocked, even. But, it’s ok. I can do this.”

His grandmother gave Felix a doubt-filled look, but Felix gave her a reassuring smile in turn. He really got this, he believed it himself now, too. Where moments ago shock and pain had slammed into his gut, now anger simmered; and it was a cold anger, too, an anger that helped him clear his mind.

With a sign of his, Minho stepped aside, too, finally unblocking the view between Felix and the Seos again.

“I sincerely hope this is not yet another scheme to try and undermine the agreement.” Lady Seo fixed Felix with a calculating, piercing gaze, and Felix gave her an icy smile. 

“It is not, Lady Seo, rest assured.” His voice sounded anything but assuring, however.

“I believe you and the young Lord Changbin have met before, have you not? Are you on bad terms?” Queen Siyeon asked with worry in her voice, however, unsettled by Felix’s tone.

“No, granny. We have met before, indeed, but we are not on bad terms.” 

“Whether the children are on good or bad terms is neither here nor there, either way. They will have a lifetime to figure it out. I will not see another Lee break an agreement with my family over something as temporary and fickle as feelings. I will see the terms of this contract met!” Lord Seo stepped forward, one hand clamped down on Changbin’s shoulder in a way that Felix was sure must be painful, while waving around an aged looking folder in the other.

A surge of heated rage mixed into the cold pool of anger in Felix's stomach, the urge to slap the man’s hand off Changbin’s shoulder coursing through him. Felix clamped down on it, however, focussing on Changbin’s face instead. 

Changbin looked how Felix had felt moments ago, when he’d first seen him; only he didn’t have the luxury to have people by his side who would catch him if he allowed his knees to buckle. Felix had a suspicion that he, too, had had no idea about this development, having been left in the dark about who it was he was meeting up until now, too; whether by choice, like Felix had, or not, Felix surely would find out eventually.

Desperately almost, Felix wished for Changbin to meet his eyes, hoping to convey a simple reassurance to him through his gaze, but Changbin stubbornly avoided him. Giving up on his wish, Felix instead turned his gaze to Changbin’s father again, eyes turning hard and cold as ice once again.

“Despite the fact that I could easily appeal to international courts with claims that the contract you are citing is unlawful and essentially describes a glorified form of human trafficking, as well as slavery, in the terms it is written, I am willing to refrain from having my fiancé’s father thrown behind bars for the sake of peace between our families.” 

It felt good, to stand up to the man Felix was blaming for all his pent-up pain and frustration.

“Felix…!” Queen Siyeon hissed in warning next to him, and a little surge of nervousness shot through him, but he squeezed his grandmother’s hands reassuringly. 

“We will proceed to negotiating the terms of our engagement contract soon, you have my word.” Felix continued. “But first, I would like a word with my fiancé in private.”

Lord Seo’s eyes narrowed to slits, and Changbin winced as the grip on his shoulder clearly tightened.

“What kind of scheme is this, this time-”

“Lord Seo.” Queen Siyeon interrupted the man with a calm yet firm tone. “You are forgetting who you are talking to. Prince Felix is, despite his age and background, in every single way above you in the social hierarchy. You would do well to remember your place.” Letting her gaze travel between Changbin and Felix, his grandmother nodded slowly. “You shall, of course, have your moment of privacy. The discussion of any contracts can wait until after that.” She decided, and waved at Changbin to step forth. 

Reluctantly, Lord Seo let go of his son as he followed the Queen’s command, and Felix led him to the adjacent room; which - perhaps not surprisingly, since servants always knew everything that was going on, anyway - was empty save for the two of them once Felix closed the door.

For a moment, Felix and Changbin could only stare at each other in silence, even if Changbin still didn’t quite meet Felix’s gaze.

“Is this real?” Changbin eventually whispered. “Is this really, real?”

Felix found himself with a growing lump in his throat that he could hardly swallow around. 

“Can I hug you?” He still managed to whisper, and Changbin nodded choppily.

And then, they laid in each other's arms, holding on so tightly their ribs protested the treatment; all protests went unheard and unheeded, though.

“I’m so sorry…” Changbin eventually whispered, but Felix shook his head.

“What for? You have nothing to be sorry for. You were as clueless in this as I was, weren’t you?”

Changbin took a shaky breath. “I was. But… I should have told you sooner, about that bloody contract. I should have told you when I found out. I-”

“Shh…” Felix hushed him, stroking his back gently before backing out of the hug to cup Changbin’s face in his hands. 

“You are forgiven, hyung. We might have some things to talk about and agree on for the future, but I mean it when I say you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Changbin took a shaky breath, finally meeting Felix’s gaze and looking deep into his eyes. 

“You’re going through with this engagement? This marriage?” he asked, quietly, unsure almost.

Felix nodded. “Hell yes! Unless you don’t want to…?”

Changbin chuckled humorlessly. “Even if I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have a choice. But… Since it’s you, I do. This… This is more than I could ever have hoped for, and while I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me just yet if we were just two regular people living regular lives… I would have eventually. After I’d finally have found a ring that suits you; but so far, I haven’t found a single one that would do you justice.”

Felix spluttered, laughed, stammered incredulously, all in one. 

“You- what? Don’t tell me-”

“I was considering eloping with you at times, I’ll be honest. If I married you, a prince, there would be nothing my father would have been able to do about it.” Changbin admitted, and after the initial surprise over the admission, Felix raised a teasing eyebrow.

“Oh, you! You only wanted to marry me for my title?!”

He was clearly joking, but Changbin took it seriously.

“Never. That is more my father’s thing. Since he didn’t get to marry into the royal family, he is desperate to get a touch of royalty through me.”

Felix’s eyes narrowed at that information. 

“I will marry you, Seo Changbin, but not your family. The first clause on our marriage contract will read that your family gets no benefits whatsoever through you and your marriage to me!”

A truckload of tension seeped out of Changbin at that, and he sagged somewhat in front of Felix. 

“Yes, please.”

“They’ll also hold no authority over you anymore; none at all. They don’t get to blackmail you into anything ever again.” Felix added, and Changbin sighed as if in pleasure.

“Keep sweet-talking me like that, and we’re never leaving this room again.”

Felix laughed, gathering Changbin in a hug again, when a knock sounded from the door.

“They really can’t grant us even a minute of peace, what the fuck…” Felix grumbled, and Changbin tightened his hold on Felix for a moment before letting go, and they stepped apart.

“Let’s go.” Felix righted himself, determined, as he reached out for Changbin’s hand. “We have father-in-law’s rude awakening to plot.”


	5. Part 5

The two weeks following the announcement of their engagement and leading up to their wedding were probably the most stressful, infuriating, nerve-wracking and overall horrible of both Felix's and Changbin's lives. 

The strain she had gone through on the day of the engagement announcement set Queen Siyeon back by a lot, and her condition worsened considerably. Felix was left on his own - well, with the help of a whole team of lawyers as well as Chan and his mom, but without his grandmother's help - to navigate the intricacies of royal marriage contracts. They had to fight for every inch and clausule added to keep the old Lords Seo out of their marriage and to protect Changbin and him from them. And that was just a tiny fraction of the contract, for people as wealthy and important as them. 

Despite the constant work on the contract, as well as the preparations for the actual wedding, Felix and Changbin barely saw each other, barely got to talk to each other. Lord Seo tried to blackmail Felix into agreeing to terms of his choosing by using Changbin and time he could spend with and talking to him against him, inclusively, until finally, Changbin rebelled just two days before the wedding and signed the contract in secret behind the backs of his family and their lawyers. 

Lord Seo was furious, and Changbin didn't return home before the wedding, instead hiding out at Jisung's. 

Aside from the old Lords Seo causing trouble, Changbin and Felix both had a hard time navigating the press. No matter where they went, someone showed up with a camera, a microphone, or most often both, following them around. And it didn't stop at them: Chan, Jisung, Hyunjin, and Felix's mom were other frequent targets, as well as countless of brief acquaintances and superficial 'friends' from college, of which a few couldn't resist their chance at five minutes of fame to conspiratorially croon their hot takes and stories about them into whatever microphone was shoved in their face; most of them, of course, weren't even close to true, and those that were at least based on the truth were hopelessly exaggerated. The palace had a whole division of professionals whose sole job it was to deal with exactly those stories, Felix learned then, and after exasperating over blatant lies about himself for the fifth time in a day, he decided never to read a 'news' story about himself, ever again. 

While time seemed to run through their fingers and never be enough for all the preparations, it also dragged on endlessly before Felix and Changbin could finally meet again. 

And that was on their wedding day, at the altar. 

The ceremony was beautiful, as expected, considering only the best wedding planners had been let at it, and they definitely deserved their praise. And yet, Felix and Changbin asked to change some things up last minute to make room for their own, personalized vows - something not common in weddings for arranged marriages.

The vows made several of Felix's personal guests either gag or cry (or both) with how sappy they were, while they caused scowls and confusion among Changbin's family and many an obligatory guest from the high society of Geodo. Neither of the grooms cared, though, and despite how tiring the day was, with the obligation to receive countless more or less sincere well-wishes with blinding smiles, posing for endless photographs, hold speeches and smile benevolently at all the toasts risen at them, it was still an enjoyable day. And the best part, of course, was that Changbin didn't have to leave again at the end of the day, instead following Felix up to his rooms; now, their rooms. 

"I've never been to your rooms before… Or anywhere near this part of the castle." Changbin confessed on their way up, causing Felix's steps to falter.

"You… haven't?" He stopped abruptly. "Oh, god, right! You haven't!" 

He turned fully to Changbin then, taking his hand between his own.

"Well, then… Looks like you'll get to properly inaugurate the royal chambers upon your first visit to them…!" Felix waggled his eyebrows suggestively, completely ruining the momentarily emotional mood.

Changbin could only snort at that, shaking his head at Felix.

"Seriously now? Are you demanding we consummate our marriage tonight? Are you not the slightest bit tired?!" He sounded almost scared, and Felix took mercy on him.

"Relax, hyung. I'm not demanding anything. I'm so tired I'll probably fall asleep before I even get to get comfortable in bed. But… There's always the morning!"

Thoroughly reassured, Changbin let Felix guide him the rest of the way to their rooms, and for once, Felix found them empty, void of Seungmin and Jeongin who normally waited to help him with whatever end-of-day duties there might be.

“They probably expect us to be all over each o-  _ hyung!”  _ Felix yelped, startled, when Changbin pulled him into a back-hug and placed an open-mouthed kiss to his neck with just enough teeth to send an instant full body shiver through him.

“You’ve been looking so delectable all day, it was literally torture to keep my hands to myself.” Changbin hummed as he trailed kisses down Felix’s neck, as far as Felix’s suit would allow.

“That’s- Not-... Not hands, hyung.” Felix stammered, still taken by surprise but in no way opposed. Tiredness and sudden pleasure caused a mix of feelings in Felix that had him sinking back pliantly against Changbin in no time, mind instantly abandoning all coherency.

“It’s not just my hands that I’ve been dying to run over your body again. But, since you are demanding…!” With that, Changbin’s hands moved from where they were splayed on Felix’s stomach, one up to his chest, and one down…

Felix moaned, bucking forward at the same time as he leaned further back.

“About that morning..” He panted, breathless. “It’s after midnight, so,  _ technically _ , it is morning…!”

Changbin laughed quietly, gently nibbling on Felix’s earlobe. 

“Technically, nothing is stopping us from making the best out of the night  _ and _ the morning…!”

Felix hesitated for a split second, wondering if they weren’t too tired for anything, but then again, he couldn’t find any traces of that tiredness he’d felt on their way up anymore...

***

In reality, there was indeed something stopping them from making the best out of at least the morning: duties upon duties, with the media and the country, the parliament and the senate, lawyers, ambassadors, and so many more. And to make sure they attended all of them on time, Seungmin came to wake them up at the crack of dawn (at least it felt like it) and much to the displeasure of everyone involved.

“I swear, if I find the room like this to clean up every day from now on, I’m quitting…!” Felix and Changbin could hear him muttering as he kicked at a wad of tissues on the ground with a sour face on his way out. “Half an hour to get dressed and ready for breakfast with the Taiwanese ambassador! Better get up, chop-chop!” He added louder before making his way out of the room.

“Wow… Is this the new royal court etiquette? What happened to our squeaky-clean Seungminnie who was ever so proper, courteous and reserved, even?” Changbin laughed, sitting up with sleep still in his eyes.

“He got lost and beat up in a dark alley in Seoul, where he died and came back to life through sheer bitter resentment. This is the new and improved Seungmin, who’ll literally dump a bucket of ice-water over you two if you aren’t in the shower in the next sixty seconds. The clock’s ticking! I’m not weaseling for apologies in front of the ambassador to excuse your tardiness just because you can’t get up on time!”

Felix groaned, sitting up and rolling out of bed in an instant, even though he stumbled as soon as his feet were required to carry his weight.

“I love you, too, Minnie!” He called sweetly at Seungmin’s retreating figure.

“Thanks! I only love Innie, though!” Seungmin answered from the room over, and Changbin laughed again.

“I love the easy going relationship you have with your servants. That’s such a breath of fresh air again compared to what I got at my parents’...” Changbin smiled, missing the worried look Felix threw to where Seungmin had left the room.

“Yeah? I think I might have created a monster there. Come, quick, before he actually makes good of his threat; because he  _ will!” _

Changbin’s eyes widened incredulously.

“He won’t!”

“Oh, he absolutely will! How else do you think I made it to all my 8am classes over the years?”

A flicker of fear sparked in Changbin’s eyes, and he scrambled out of bed, too; just in time to see Seungmin returning to the doorway with a champagne cooler in his hands.

“We’re going!” Felix squeaked hastily, grabbing Changbin’s hand and pulling him to the bathroom with urgency.

“You better hurry, and no funny business! I’m turning off the warm water in ten minutes, if you’re not done by then, suffer!”

Changbin gasped as Felix pushed the door closed behind them, scrambling out of his clothes.

“Can he actually do that?”

“Yep! And he will, too! Kim Seungmin knows no mercy!” By the end of his words, Felix was already in the shower. Changbin followed a moment later. 

“Is he always like this? Is this how your usual morning goes?”

Felix grinned, shampooing his hair already. “Only when I have a busy day ahead.”

“So, always?” 

“Pretty much.”

“I’m suddenly starting to regret this marriage…”

Felix laughed, starting to rinse his hair. 

“Just make sure you keep your schedule in the mornings empty and he might leave you alone. Or you get up before he comes in to wake us.”

Changbin shook his head incredulously, in the process of washing himself, too.

“And you’re ok with this?”

“Are you kidding? I rely on this! Minnie is a blessing, I would be lost without him! If I had one of those lackluster manservants with their gentle reminders, they would still be excusing me to the ambassador come lunch-time.”

Changbin snorted, shaking his head slowly while he scrambled to finish his shower as quickly and efficiently as Felix, but inevitably failed, especially when he got shampoo in his eyes in a failed attempt to rinse his hair quickly.

By then, Felix was already stepping out of the shower, wrapping himself in one of the heated towels Seungmin had also laid out, and moved back to the door to their bedroom, peeking out.

“I’m out of the shower and getting dressed, Min! Have mercy on Binnie hyung and let him finish with warm water, please.”

Changbin couldn’t hear Seungmin’s response, but judging from Felix’s sweet “Thank you!”, he was slightly more reassured.

“You can take all the time you want, I’ll excuse you to the ambassador, if you need me to.” Felix confirmed it a moment later, and Changbin let out a breath of relief.

Felix was indeed already dressed when Changbin stepped out of the shower, moving to the bedroom to have Seungmin help him with some basic hair and make-up for the day. By the time Changbin was dressed, too, Felix was ready to leave. 

“Make sure to pass by Her Majesty’s rooms before you go down.” Seungmin was reminding Felix, before turning to Changbin, his face instantly morphing into a slightly horrified expression.

“Oh, no, you are not going out like this!” He stated with finality, directing a perplexed Changbin into a chair with a shove. Only then did he remember he wasn’t talking to Felix, but someone who was definitely not used to his special brand of tender love and care. Felix cackled from the doorway, both at Changbin’s startled expression as well as Seungmin’s mortified one.

“I-I’m sorry, Lord Changbin. Please allow me to assist you?”

“All this time you had no problem bossing hyung around, and now you go all soft on him? Aww, Minnie, you wound me with this preferential treatment!” Felix teased, leaning against the doorframe and not leaving just yet.

“Shut up; that was because until now I saw you as a package deal, but now…!” Seungmin whined, but Felix merely shrugged.

“And now we still are. But you can take your time; I’ll excuse my tardy husband to the ambassador if I have to, it’s ok.”

A horrified look flitted across Seungmin’s expression. “Absolutely not! There will be no tardiness and embarrassment in front of foreign ambassadors on my watch! I’ll deliver him to you at point nine o’clock down at the Red Breakfast Salon! Now, go on, Her Majesty is waiting!” 

Felix blew a pair of kisses in the general direction of Seungmin and his new husband, before hurrying off down the halls. 

Changbin would have a few things to get used to, Felix figured, but he was positive it would be ok. He would have to ask Seungmin to go easy on Changbin for a while, but he was not ready or willing to abdicate from Seungmin’s special kind of love to get him up in the morning when he had to; what he maybe should arrange for instead were some mornings when it wouldn’t be necessary, so he could actually enjoy waking up next to his husband.

Felix giggled giddily to himself as that thought crossed his mind; his  _ husband! _ Who would have thought, just a couple of weeks ago? Not him! Certainly not him; and look at them now!

“One happy newlywed ready to visit his grandmother; come on in!” Yoohyeon greeted him by the door when he knocked, and he slipped into his grandmother’s rooms. 

“Good morning, auntie!” He chirped good-naturedly and crossed the room quickly to get to the Queen’s bedroom.

“Morning, granny! How are you doing?” He greeted her, too, as soon as his grandmother came into sight.

“Oh, you know it…” She waved the question off. “Good morning, baby. How is the newlywed life treating you?”

Felix rolled his eyes as he sat down at the edge of her bed. “It’s been less than twenty four hours, of which we barely got to spend eight together alone…!”

“Eight hours is  _ plenty _ of time, if you ask me…!”

_ “Sleeping _ , granny! We spent those hours  _ sleeping!” _

“Mhm… The marks on your neck tell a different story!”

Felix gasped, his hand flying up to the spot Changbin had bitten at the night before, and a mischievous glint stole itself into his grandmother’s eyes.

_ “Caught you! _ As if Seungmin would let you leave the room with any unconcealed marks, Lixie…” She shook her head fondly, and Felix conceded defeat with a groan.

“Are you happy, though, baby?” The Queen’s voice and expression turned serious. “I still can’t believe how all of this turned out in the end, but… You were broken up by the time we announced the engagement… Are you two ok with each other?”

Felix relaxed quickly, smiling incredibly fondly at his grandmother.

“We still have a lot we’ll have to talk about over the next few days… or even weeks. But we never broke up because we didn’t love each other anymore, so I believe we can sort everything out pretty easily. I think right now the biggest issue is going to be getting Binnie-hyung used to my waking-up ritual.”

Queen Siyeon laughed heartily at that, and Felix chimed in.

“Oh, that poor child!” She shook her head fondly. “Let’s hope he doesn’t file for a divorce by the end of the week…!”

“Good thing that’s not allowed, according to our contract!” Felix chuckled. “No, but really, granny. I think we’ll be fine. I’m happy; very happy. Happier than I ever thought I would be by now. And Binnie-hyung… I think he’s happy, too. I hope so! I think… I think I know him well enough to be able to tell, and I believe he would tell me if he wasn’t…”

“That eases my heart a lot, baby…” The Queen smiled softly, patting Felix’s hand. “As my grandson, I wish nothing but happiness for you. And also, that you get to go on a proper honeymoon, soon!”

Felix’s heart warmed at that, and he lifted his grandmother’s hand to kiss it softly.

“Thank you, granny. I hope so, too. But, the Kingdom comes first! And speaking of, I have a breakfast to attend in-...” He checked his watch for the first time that morning. “Oh, that sneaky bastard! Half an hour, my ass! He woke us up with a whole fucking hour to spare!”

Queen Siyeon flinched at the harsh words, but an amused smile never left her lips.

“In your best interest, I believe. Do go on ahead, my dear sailor prince, and woo that ambassador with your exquisite charms and vocabulary choices!”

Felix got up from the edge of the bed, shaking his head as he moved to leave the room.

“There is only one man I intend to ever woo, granny, and I believe he has already fallen for these charms of mine.”

The Queen nodded seriously.

“Clearly, judging by that limp of yours...”

Felix stopped dead in his tracks, the tips of his ears turning red.

“I’m not  _ limp- _ Who even said that I’m the one- You know what, I am  _ not _ having this conversation with you, oh my  _ god!” _

“Oh, please, yes, do refrain from giving me the details! Go, go, off you go! I’ll see you later today!” Felix’s grandmother laughed good naturedly, watching Felix finally leave the room with a fond, and at the same time relieved, smile.

***

Changbin didn’t think about filing a divorce by the end of the week, nor any other time soon; not even when the preparations for Felix’s coronation nearly drove Felix up the walls and stole all of his time away from him, inclusively making him irritable in what little time they did have together.

And then, in the end, it all happened really quickly. Queen Siyeon abdicated from the throne, and Felix was coronated and instated as King of the small yet noble and ancient Kingdom of Geodo. And with that… Nothing much changed, really. Well, actually, their days became a little less stressful, since aside from all the kingly duties, at least no more Big and Extremely Significant Events™ had to be planned in between, and Felix actually managed to get a little bit of free time in between his duties. 

It took a while for Changbin to get used to life in the palace, but it really didn’t take as much time as anyone would have expected before he started taking some of Felix’s duties off his hands, as far as he could. And he did a good job at it, too. 

Before anyone knew it, half a year had passed, and as if by a miracle, Queen Siyeon recovered. And the first thing she demanded as soon as she had the bodily force to back up her demand, was that Felix and Changbin finally go on their long awaited and much deserved honeymoon while she held down the fort back at home. 

Felix was hesitant at first, until his grandmother threatened him with temporary exile if he didn’t choose a honeymoon destination  _ right this instant. _

It was Changbin who chose eventually, and thanks to him, a week later, the two of them were basking under the Australian summer sun. Changbin failed spectacularly at any attempts to learn to surf, despite Felix’s best attempts to teach him, and preferred to stay in the shallow waters or on the beach, watching Felix have the time of his life out on the waves from there while he let the waves rock him on a bodyboard, at best.

“I can’t believe I married a shubie. A paddlepuss. A sponger. A total hodad… What has the world come to!” Felix dramatically proclaimed when he finally gave up trying to convince Changbin to give it one more try.

“You love this shubie, paddlepuss, sponger, hodad, though. What does that say about you, hm, Mr Surfing King?” Changbin laughed, catching Felix’s slippery, neopren-clad frame and pulling him down into the sand with him. Felix went willingly, laughing before he kissed Changbin deeply. 

“It means I have excellent taste in men. This husband of mine might be a dick-dragger, but fortunately his dick is only a drag in the water…!”

Changbin snorted, shoving lightly at Felix with a disbelieving laugh.

“You are  _ awful!  _ I can’t believe someone with a vocabulary and one-track-mind like yours made it this far in life!”

“Hey!” Felix protested. “It’s my honeymoon! I’m not on the clock! Don’t judge my vocabulary!”

Changbin shook his head fondly, pulling Felix down again. “Oh, just shut up…!” 

Before Felix could utter something as predictable as ‘make me’, Changbin kissed him silly, making him forget any and all words altogether, and effectively kept him from spewing any more profanities. 

And like this, the laziest holidays either of them had had in years passed by.

***

The following half a year was once again filled to the brim with work, more than Felix had expected, but Changbin continued to help him wherever he could, as did his grandmother. And by the end of it - Felix couldn’t believe it - he had managed to arrange it so that he had a whole half year free, to himself, to pursue his dreams as a dancer. He could safely leave the kingdom behind in the capable - and fully recovered - hands of his grandmother, while he joined a dance troupe and travelled the world, Changbin always by his side. 

At first, that idea had found a lot of resistance, but in the end, the ones voicing the most resistance were the ones accompanying him closest. 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. If I didn’t fucking love you, Lee Felix, you bastard…” Minho would grumble as they flitted elegantly across whatever stage they were performing on together with the troupe; Minho once again undercover as Felix’s bodyguard, since Felix did not want to be recognized or make a fuss, and showing up with a bodyguard didn’t work in favour of either.

“Yeah, sure, you love _ me _ …” Felix snorted a few times when it happened. “You know Jinnie told me that you confessed to him that dancing on stage together with him fulfilled a dream for you that you never even knew you had? You should be thanking me, kissing the ground I walk on…!” That, he only got to whisper to Minho once, the bodyguard’s ears turning a deep shade of red that was thankfully invisible to the spectators watching, thanks to the lighting.

“Be right back, murdering  _ one _ boyfriend! And when I’m done with him, it’s your turn!” Minho hissed as they parted to change partners in the formation, gliding over to Hyunjin. Felix chuckled to himself, before turning to his own next partner and focussing purely on the dance again.

These dancing tours didn’t remain a one-time thing, either, and while Minho and Hyunjin had been so against them at first, after the first one, they were Felix’s strongest supporters for the following ones. 

Sometimes, Changbin accompanied Felix throughout the whole tour, sometimes he went back home to Geodo and missed a few gigs in between, and sometimes they both went back home together to take care of important business, but in those cases, Felix still made sure they didn’t miss a single stop. It was exhausting, in the way they had to work extra hard to take care of everything important in a much shorter timeframe to have time for the tours, but also so, so rewarding. 

Eventually, Felix got tired of the double life as King of a small nation and celebrated dancer, though, and he decided to retire from the troupe; which didn’t mean that he retired as a dancer. It did mean, however, that he followed Chan’s advice from all these years ago, and started looking into founding dancing - as well as surfing - schools all over the globe; starting with Geodo and Australia, of course, but rapidly expanding elsewhere, too. 

And when Queen Siyeon retired for good, deciding to no longer take on any responsibility in the palace and regarding the country, going as far as moving out, even, together with Yoohyeon, she made sure to take Felix aside for a walk around the palace gardens, as she did so often.

“Do you ever regret deciding to come spend that summer in Geodo back when you were only just eighteen?” The former Queen asked seriously when they were at the furthest point from the palace that they went to anymore. “Do you ever resent that I came to get you all the way from Australia, pulled you out of your life like that and threw you into this one?”

Felix took a moment to think about it, truly, deeply.

“No.” He answered eventually. “Not really. Actually… No. Not ever. Whenever I find something that makes me believe for a moment that I regret accepting this life, I am so quickly reminded of everything it has given me, too… Everything I wouldn’t have if I had never come with you. From the very beginning, too, from that first summer, from my time in college…”

Former Queen Siyeon chuckled softly, following Felix’s gaze into the distance.

“I didn’t know Binnie had changed his name… ‘Everything’ suits him, though, weirdly enough.”

Felix rolled his eyes, nudging his grandmother ever so slightly when the meaning of her words fully registered.

“Oh shut up, granny. You have no right to judge my gay ass; not when yours is not one bit better! Don’t you think I have heard enough of the nicknames Auntie and you call each other?”

His grandmother laughed freely, shaking her head.

“My Lixie, with his charming vocabulary, as always…!” She patted his arm lightly. “Well then… It’s getting chilly, and I can tell  _ my  _ Everything is already worrying about my whereabouts. Take my gay ass back inside; I have a new house to get to and properly inaugurate!”

Felix spluttered, gagging, and shuddered at the mental imagery that immediately sprung to the forefront of his mind.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake… I take it back. I regret everything!”

**Author's Note:**

> If you too would like me to write a story for you, head on over to my twitter [@writtenonwings](https://twitter.com/writtenonwings) and check my pinned to see how!


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